Washington. February 8. INTERFAX - Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe refused to talk with Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin after a Chinese balloon was shot down over US territory, said Pat Ryder, a representative of the US defense Department.
In a distributed statement, Ryder said that the Pentagon sent a request for a telephone conversation between Austin and Wei Fenghe immediately after the balloon was shot down, but China rejected this request.
"We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and China in order to responsibly manage relations," Ryder said.
The appearance of the Chinese balloon, which Washington described as intelligence, led to a diplomatic scandal between the two countries, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken even postponed a visit to Beijing scheduled for February 5-6, accusing China of "violating the sovereignty" of the United States.
The Chinese side stated that the balloon was a weather balloon, and explained its appearance over the territory of the United States by force majeure. After the balloon was shot down, Beijing made an official protest.
