A senior US defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that since 2021 China had declined or not responded to over a dozen requests to talk with the Pentagon.
One of the thorniest security issues between the two superpowers is over the future of Taiwan, a self-governing territory which Beijing wants to bring under its rule.
Lawyers for Zhu and Zheng, both Chinese citizens and New York City residents, said their clients did not know they were working for China's government.
Rising tensions between the nations meant that the prospect of a meeting was closely watched by security forces.
The larger chunk of Micron's products flowing into China are being purchased by non-Chinese firms for use in products manufactured there, analysts say.
On Wednesday, following the governor's signing of the law, Knudsen, who, like Gianforte, is a Republican, called TikTok "a Chinese Communist Party spying tool that poses a threat to every Montanan."
They aim to cooperate on efforts to counter foreign manipulation of information, including "China's amplification of Russian disinformation narratives about the war" in Ukraine and other issues.
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