The US has contacted China over what Washington called a “spy” balloon and a Beijing weather balloon that was shot down on Feb. 4 after the Pentagon turned down repeated requests for dialogue for days, a US Defense Department spokesman said Sunday.

“Contacts have been established with the DPRK on the issue of a high-altitude balloon,” Deputy Defense Minister Melissa Dalton told reporters, using the abbreviation of the official name People’s Republic of China.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin requested a meeting with his Chinese counterpart after he was shot down by an F-22 fighter a few days after flying into US airspace.

The request initially fell on deaf ears, with Beijing condemning Washington’s “irresponsible” and “excessive” decision to shoot down what it called a “mostly meteorological” scientific balloon.

“These irresponsible and wrong actions have not created an atmosphere conducive to dialogue and exchange of views between the two armed forces,” the Chinese defense ministry said in a statement.

“The United States insisted on the use of force against the Chinese civil balloon, which is contrary to (…) international practice and sets a bad precedent,” the same source said.

Ms. Dalton declined to go into details of the talks that took place between the two sides.

On Sunday, Washington announced the shooting down of another high-rise “object”, without specifying its nature. It was the fourth aircraft shot down over the US and Canada in less than 10 days.

Source: RES-IPE