As China continues its snap military drills around Taiwan in retaliation to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s provocative visit to the island this week, top Chinese military officials are refusing to return calls from their counterparts at the Pentagon, according to Politico.
Beijing allegedly rejected several calls from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley in recent days, according to “three people with knowledge of the attempts.” Milley’s last confirmed contact with China’s Chief of the Joint Staff, Gen. Li Zuocheng, came on July 7, while Austin met with Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe in person back in June.
On Friday, Beijing decided to cut diplomatic ties with Washington in a number of military and civilian areas. China’s Foreign Ministry released a list of issues on which there will no longer be communication between Chinese and American officials, including military contacts on the level of theater commanders and wider defense policy coordination talks.