After the launch of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over American waters, Beijing has declined an offer of talks, according to the US government.
US Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder said in Washington on Tuesday that immediately after the balloon was launched on Saturday, the Pentagon had requested a meeting between Department Chief Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe. However, the Chinese side refused.
“We believe that maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the People’s Republic of China is important in order to conduct the relationship responsibly,” Ryder said. Especially in moments like this, communication between the armed forces of both countries is particularly important. The US side continues to try to open channels of communication with Beijing.
Such balloons have been intended to collect information for years
According to a Washington Post report, the balloon is part of Beijing’s extensive surveillance program. Such balloons have been collecting information about military installations in countries and areas of strategic interest to China for years, the newspaper reported, citing US intelligence sources.
These included, for example, Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines. The balloons would operate in part from the coast of the southern Chinese island of Hainan. So far they have been sighted on five continents.
The recent appearance of a Chinese surveillance balloon suspected of being used for espionage over US territory has further chilled already chilly relations between the two countries. The US military shot down the Chinese balloon off the coast of the state of South Carolina over the Atlantic.
Washington accuses China of using the balloon to spy on military installations. The government in Beijing, on the other hand, spoke of a civilian research balloon that had gone off course.
“The Chinese have combined incredibly ancient technology with modern communications and observation capabilities to gather intelligence on other countries’ armed forces,” the Washington Post quoted an unnamed US official as saying.
The US State Department has sent detailed information about the surveillance balloons to each US embassy, which can be shared with allies and partners, according to the newspaper. “Our allies and partners are very interested,” said the government representative. (dpa)
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