A US official also told a Congressional hearing that some tech shipments to China’s blacklisted telecom equipment maker Huawei were “under assessment”

The firm also plans to help establish a Russian production site for the drones which are similar to Iran's Shaheed-136 and can carry a 35-50kg warhead

Experts say the meeting might not change the downward trajectory in the US-China relationship, considering 'there is almost no trust between the two sides'

"I hope we are going to get to the bottom of this, but I make no apologies for taking down that balloon," the US president said

China previously sanctioned the two firms in February last year over a $100-million arms sale to the island

US denies flying surveillance balloons over China, while sources said Secretary of State Blinken was considering meeting top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi at Munich Security Conference this week

The claim comes amid state media reports that Chinese authorities were ‘preparing’ to shoot down an unidentified flying object near a major port city

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to meet US President Joe Biden on Friday, with a focus on chip export controls, critical technologies, global economy and joint security issues