Immediately after a fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, the U.S. asked for a call with the Chinese defense minister—only to have China refuse to hop on the phone, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement that the Department of Defense had requested a secure call between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. “Unfortunately, the [People’s Republic of China] has declined our request. Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue,” Ryder said. As a naval recovery operation for the 200-foot-tall balloon’s debris stretched into Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that it was China’s move next. “It’s up to China to figure out what kind of relationship they want,” she said, according to Reuters.
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