The United States communicated with Beijing about the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon that was launched on Feb. 4 after several days of declining Pentagon requests for dialogue, a defense official said Sunday.
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“Contacts have been established with the PRC regarding the high-altitude balloon,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton told reporters, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had requested a meeting with his Chinese counterparts shortly after a US fighter jet shot down the balloon that had been in US skies for several days.
Those demands went unheeded, and Beijing criticized Washington’s “irresponsible” act in tripping the ball.
“This irresponsible and serious misconduct has not created a climate conducive to dialogue and exchange between the two armies,” the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a press release.
“The United States insisted on using force against a Chinese civilian airship, in serious violation of international practice and setting a bad precedent,” the same source said.
Ms Dalton gave no details about the exchange between the two powers.
On Sunday, Washington announced it had shot down a new “object” at altitude, without specifying its nature. This is the fourth object shot down over the United States or Canada in less than ten days.