US Warships Allowed in Hong Kong

[peacebird]

Source: CNN

HONG KONG, China (AP) -- China's Foreign Ministry gave approval for U.S. Navy ships to spend Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday in Hong Kong, hours after the warships were turned away.

The USS Kitty Hawk, pictured in 2001 during Operation Enduring Freedom, is among the flotilla.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Beijing was allowing the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and the other ships in its strike group to enter Hong Kong on humanitarian grounds.

"We have decided to allow the Kitty Hawk strike group to stay in Hong Kong during Thanksgiving, and it is a decision out of humanitarian consideration only," Liu told reporters at a regular media briefing. "China has informed the U.S. of this."

Earlier Thursday, the Kitty Hawk and its five support vessels left waters off Hong Kong after being refused entry.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/22/hongkong.us.warships.ap/index.html

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First refused, then several hours later allowed? What sort of non-subtle message is China sending to bush?

[MADem]

1. How dare you not take our lead infested toys and other crap???

How dare you give trinkets to the Dalai Lama? How dare you rattle sabres at Iran?

This is such horseshit. It's a chain-jerking exercise.

Asked repeatedly about the apparent reversal, Liu declined to comment. China has in the past barred U.S. Navy ships from Hong Kong in fits of pique over disputes in relations. In recent weeks, ties have been strained over disputes on trade and Iran's nuclear program as well as Congress's awarding a medal to the Dalai Lama, whom China's communist government considers an enemy.

[dysfunctional press]

2. i wonder what they got in return?

:shrug:

[Deja Q]

3. Okay, last night I was thick; didn't realize that was a war ship.

:blush:

I don't know the whole story; maybe there was a valid reason.

[ohio2007]

4. Another thread had a story that access was denied the carrier? so which is it?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3074353&mesg_id=3074353

Maybe China reconsidered ?
Discretion is the better part of valor when you rely on open sealanes and unfettered access to US west coast ports ;)

just saying, playing the Cold War game of
tit for tat could be costly

[FarCenter]

5. How often do Chinese warships make port calls in the US?

[hack89]

10. Every couple of years.. nt

[balantz]

6. Whew! That's a relief!

I was beginning to wonder if they were a humanitarian nation. So glad they decided to be humane to our humanitarian nation. Let's hear it for humanitarian causes!

[KeepItReal]

7. Not really, the Navy said they are not goin to make the port visit

"US Navy ships drop HK visit plan

The US Navy says Chinese approval for its vessels to enter Hong Kong for the Thanksgiving holiday has come too late. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7106871.stm

[clixtox]

8. Humanitarian? Sort of...

The actual reason the decision was reversed probably had to do with the many hundreds of relatives and friends of the sailors and marines on these ships who had traveled to Hong Kong to spend time with their loved ones during the holiday. The unexpected barring of the Kitty Hawk group was a huge P.R. issue in Hong Kong and, of course, very unpopular with the important tourist and hospitality industries in HK.

In the other related "USS Kitty Hawk" thread mention was made of the possibility that our ships could visit Vietnam instead. Actually last week the first US Navy ships visited what was once North Vietnam for the first time since the "American" war. Two US "mine warfare" ships visited Haiphong harbor which was bombed and eventually so mined by the USA that it was rendered unusable by shipping until the mines were removed by the USA by the terms of the 1973 ceasefire agreement.

US warships have been visiting Danang and Ho Chi Minh City(Saigon), in what was formerly South Vietnam (before the reunification of Vietnam on 4/30/75), for awhile.

The Vietnamese people, perhaps surprisingly, generally love Americans. I am living in Saigon now and I have never felt any animosity from anyone over being a USA citizen. It is so sweet here... (Shhh, don't tell anyone...)

[balantz]

9. Sorry

I forgot to use the sarcasm button on my last post.

:sarcasm:

There, I was being sarcastic above :)

[ohio2007]

11. So the sailors will get "a happy ending" afterall

the humanitarian effort is to help their own local industries

[Doctor Cynic]

12. I guess this is because of all the

$$$ that the sailors will spend in Hong Kong. That place will do anything to make a quick buck, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so.