'It just rang': In crises, US-China hotline goes unanswered

在危机之际，“电话一直响”，美中热线却无人接听

WASHINGTON: Within hours of an Air Force F-22 downing a giant Chinese balloon that had crossed the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached out to his Chinese counterpart via a special crisis line, aiming for a quick general-to-general talk that could explain things and ease tensions.

But Austin's effort Saturday fell flat, when Chinese declined to get on the line, the Pentagon says.

华盛顿：在美国空军的F-22战机击落一个穿越美国的中国气球后几个小时内，国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀通过一条特殊的热线与中方进行接触，目的是进行一次快速的对话，以解释事情并缓解紧张局势。

但五角大楼表示，奥斯汀的努力失败了，因为中方拒绝接听电话。

China's Defense Ministry says it refused the call from Austin after the balloon was shot down because the US had "not created the proper atmosphere" for dialogue and exchange. The US action had "seriously violated international norms and set a pernicious precedent," a ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying in a statement issued late Thursday.

中国国防部表示，在气球被击落后，中国拒绝了奥斯汀的电话，因为美国“没有创造适当的对话和交流氛围”。中国外交部发言人在周四晚些时候发表的一份声明中称，美国的行动“严重违反了国际准则，树立了一个有害的先例”。

From Americans' perspective, the lack of the kind of reliable crisis communications that helped get the US and Soviet Union through the Cold War without an armed nuclear exchange is raising the dangers of the US-China relationship now, at a time when China's military strength is growing and tensions with the US are on the rise.

从美国人的角度来看，在中国军事实力日益增强、与美国的紧张关系日益加剧之际，缺乏可靠的危机沟通，这加剧了美中关系的危险。

以下是印度时报读者的评论：

siddhitourstravelsmumbai
It's about time Americans & European countries pull out their factories in China and shift to other options. Stop business with China and learn to survive without Chinese goods & equipment. Then China will be on its knee

现在是美国和欧洲国家撤出在中国的工厂，转向其他国家的时候了。停止与中国的贸易，学会在没有中国商品和设备的情况下生存。

A

Chinese are like little kids. You puncture their balloons then, they'll not talk to you.

中国人就像小孩子。你戳破他们的气球，他们就不跟你说话了。

Guest
Haha ha

哈哈哈

Bipin Sachdev

The Chinese are a submissive breed towards Americans and would prefer not to take their call as they would not know what to say

中国人对待美国人可是唯唯诺诺，他们不愿意接美国人的电话，因为不知道该说什么啊

Munish Anand

US did the right thing

美国做对了

Muhad Asghar

Here goes the helpless Indian RSS's mercy plea!

无能狂怒的印度右翼分子在求情

Indian

What was the balloon doing there where it wasnt suppose to be. No need of any justification to bring it down!

气球在那里做什么，本来就不该出现在那里的啊？将其击落不需要理由可以

Voxpopuli

I have a feeling, the Chinese thought they could get away with it. The 2nd and 3rd baloons were shot down without hesitation, and promptly. The Biden Admin., and Canada have taken the right decisions. Shoot first, ask questions later.

我有一种感觉，中国人认为他们可以侥幸逃脱。第二和第三个气球被果断击落。拜登政府和加拿大做出了正确的决定。先斩后奏

siddhraj dhadhal

why is justification required to shoot an intruder ??

击落入侵的气球，要何理由啊

User Balkur

this is a lesson to Americans and those in West who supported Chinese for decades turning blind eye to everything as long as they made money. It's time West cuts off China from technology, diversifies its supply chain. otherwise, it would end up paying a heavy price

这是几十年来支持中国的美国人和西方人该吸取的一个教训，以前只要赚钱，就对一切视而不见。

现在是西方切断中国与技术联系，让供应链多样化的时候了。否则，西方将付出沉重的代价

Ashok Roy

The Chinese claim that the Americans shooting down the Chinese air balloon is a provocation. Sending an air balloon to the American airspace was not a violation in the first place?

中国人说，美国人击落中国气球是一种挑衅。而你们向美国领空放飞气球，就不是挑衅吗？

abc xyz

What's the point of calling them, just move a few nuclear missiles nearby china and they'll call to talk

打电话给他们有什么意义，只要在中国附近部署几枚核导弹，他们自然会主动打电话过来

User Kumar

US and the west has created a demon by giving business after business outsourced to China

欧美将一个又一个业务外包给中国，结果扶持起了一个强劲的对手

Sunil Raut

Chinese suffering from inferiority complex.

他们自卑了

Tukaram B Pujari

China is one such country which behaves like a thief and steals technology and manufacture duplicate stuff and sells the same to the gullible at throw away price.

中国就是这样的国家，窃取技术，然后山寨，然后低价倾销占领国内外市场。

Pravat Kumar Das

Looks like US is apologetic about downing the spy balloons.

看来美国对击落间谍气球表示歉意。

Suresh

This is really funny.

这真的很有趣。

Ayush Gupta

nothing look good

看起来不妙啊

Atul Saxena

I have seen the same issue with those Chinese who migrated to US for their own good not for others.

我在那些移民美国的中国人身上也看到了同样的问题，为了自己的利益，全然不顾他人的利益

Monotheism Denier

New cold war begins.

新的冷战开始了

Kiran Baliyan

Very funny. Even if it was a meteorological balloon for research, it was expected of Chinese to inform its counterpart. US did what they thought was to be done.

非常有趣。即使是一个用于研究气象的气球，中国人也应该通知对方啊。美国做了他们认为应该做的事。

Indiafirst

US trying to scare the world on china’s name and sells weapons very easily.

美国是想用中国来吓唬全世界，然后可以卖军火发财

Sudhakar

though we hate China, it's heartening to see a fellow Asian country is treating North America and Western Europe the way they treated rest of the world for centuries. these countries talk of , minorities in India etc but get cold feet when think about China.

虽然我们印度人讨厌中国，不过欧美几个世纪以来一直欺负其他国家，现在看到一个亚洲国家以其人之道还治其人之身的做法去对待欧美，这让我们感到振奋。这些欧美国家抨击印度的国内政策等，而一遇到中国就怂了！

vipindeviprasad

How many balloons from China have flown over India?

有多少中国的气球飞过了印度上空？

Common Man

The latest development is welcome to the entire World China want to overtake America and that must be c...

最新的发展是全世界都欢迎的，中国想要超越美国啊