TELETRADER News
2/7, 11:21 PM
(Source: TeleTrader)
US: China declined defense call over balloon
United States Department of Defense press secretary Pat Ryder said on Tuesday that China declined a call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. He said the request for a secure call was made by the Pentagon on February 4, "immediately after taking action" to shoot down China's suspected surveillance balloon.
We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC [People's Republic of China] in order to responsibly manage the relationship. Unfortunately, the PRC has declined our request. Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue," Ryder said in a statement.