International Façade: China Refuses US Request For Call Between Austin, Gen Wei Fenghe, Says Pentagon

China has closed its doors for peace, According to sources china has declined Washington’s request for a telephonic call between United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Beijing counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe, the Pentagon has said after fighter jets shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon. The request was made soon after the balloon was shot down on Saturday off the coast of South Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean. It had hovered over continental America for several days after entering the United States airspace on January 30 in Montana.

China Vs United States

China has acknowledged that the ballon was theirs but denied that it was for surveillance purposes rather than weather monitoring and that it had drifted off course. The United States, however, has asserted that it has enough evidence to prove that this was a surveillance balloon. “On Saturday, immediately after taking action to down the PRC balloon, the DOD (Department of Defense) submitted a request for a secure call between Secretary Austin and PRC (People’s Republic of China) Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe,” Pentagon spokesperson Gen Pat Ryder said Tuesday.
“We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC in order to responsibly manage the relationship. Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this,” he said.

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Official Statements

Unfortunately, China has “declined our request. Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue,” the spokesperson said.
The United States has accused China of violating American sovereignty and international law. China, on the other hand, has said that by shooting down its balloon, the United States has violated international law and warned that it reserves its right to take appropriate action in response