China Blocks US Carrier from Hong Kong
The government of the People’s Republic of China has denied permission for the USS Kitty Hawk and her battle group to dock in Hong Kong for the Thanksgiving holiday. Yet again, this action proves that the Chinese are not our true friends or allies. Citing differences ranging from trade difficulties to the Dalai Lama’s meeting with President Bush, the Chinese have forced the Kitty Hawk and the other ships in her battle group to remain at sea. OK, how about this for a solution? From now on no US warship or training ship should visit Hong Kong or any port under PRC authority. Perhaps the US Navy should visit Kaohsiung on Taiwan, Port Darwin in Australia, Singapore or even Labuan in Malaysia instead. Perhaps if our Chinese friends don’t want us in Hong Kong we should accede to their wishes and while we are at it perhaps we should rethink the PRC’s “most favored nation” trade status.
UPDATE: The government of the PRC has decided to allow the Kitty Hawk to visit Hong Kong, much too late for the Thanksgiving holiday. According to a PRC spokesman, the new decision was made for “humanitarian reasons”. The Kitty Hawk and her battle group are currently steaming to their home port of Yokosuka, Japan.