Despite reaching out to Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe through a special crisis line, the Chinese official declined the call, leaving Austin's efforts unanswered.
Russell Heller, 51, a Republican council member, was discovered dead in his vehicle at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, in the parking lot of his workplace, local energy company PSE&G.
The Chinese foreign ministry responded to the U.S. military shooting down its spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday by claiming without evidence that the balloon was a civilian object and that the country was extremely upset by the action.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his planned trip to Beijing after a Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted over the mainland of the United States.