Chinese Defense Ministry rejects conversation with US authorities

China has rejected a US request for a conversation between the defense ministers of the two countries about the downed balloon.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin wanted to speak with Chinese Defense Secretary Wei Fenghe about the downing of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon on Feb. 4. Beijing rejected the corresponding request. This was reported in the Pentagon.

“On Saturday, February 4, immediately after the balloon was shot down, the Pentagon issued an application for a secure conversation between Austin and the Chinese Secretary of Defense ... Unfortunately, the application was rejected by the PRC,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement.

On February 3, the Pentagon reported the sighting of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon in the skies over the United States. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken postponed a visit to China, calling Beijing's actions a violation of sovereignty.

In China, they say that it was a weather balloon that deviated from the course. On February 4, he was shot down at the direction of US President Joe Biden. In response, China said that the incident with the balloon damaged the stabilization of relations with the United States.