New Delhi: A defence official said on Sunday that the United States has communicated with Beijing over the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon shot down on February 4, after Pentagon overtures were rebuffed for days, news agency AFP reported.
"There have been contacts made with the PRC on the high altitude balloon," Melissa Dalton, Assistant Secretary of Defense, told reporters, referring to the People's Republic of China.
According to AFP, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked to speak with Chinese counterparts shortly after an Air Force fighter shot down the Chinese balloon off the US east coast after it had traversed the entire country for days.
But he got no response, even though the incident prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a long-planned diplomatic mission to Beijing.
China said on Thursday it refused the offer of a call with the US defence chief because of Washington's "irresponsible" decision to shoot down the balloon, AFP reported.
"This irresponsible and seriously mistaken approach by the US did not create a proper atmosphere for dialogue and exchanges between the two militaries," China's defence ministry said in a statement.
Dalton released no specifics about who was involved in the communication or what they conveyed after fighter planes killed the fourth suspicious item identified in US skies in just over a week on Sunday.
"The US insisted on using force to attack the airship, which seriously violated international practice and sets a bad precedent," it added.
Dalton released no specifics about who was involved in the communication or what they communicated after fighter jets shot down the fourth suspicious object detected in US airspace in just over a week on Sunday.
While US officials say they are certain the Chinese balloon was in US airspace to collect intelligence, they have not characterised the subsequent three objects, claiming they are smaller and did not particularly resemble the Chinese balloon.
(With inputs from AFP)