China Blocks U.S. Navy Flotilla’s Visit to Hong Kong

[Deleted]

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/30/wo...hong-kong.html

WASHINGTON — The Chinese government on Thursday denied a Navy flotilla access to the port in Hong Kong, Pentagon officials said Friday, the latest sign of escalating tension between the United States and China.

The rare refusal to allow the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis, and several other vessels accompanying it, to visit the port comes two weeks after the Stennis hosted the defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter, on a visit to the South China Sea, where the United States is challenging what it sees as excessive maritime claims by China.

During the trip, Mr. Carter criticized the Chinese and said the United States would work with its allies in the region.

“America’s policy continues to be one valued on principles of peaceful resolutions of disputes, lawful settlement of things like territorial disputes like the South China Sea, or anywhere else, freedom of navigation, freedom of commerce,” Mr. Carter said at the time.

The denial was the first time the Chinese government had refused to allow an American aircraft carrier into the port in Hong Kong since August 2014, according to Pentagon officials. The Navy had asked the Chinese to let the Stennis and accompanying vessels visit the port next week, the officials said.

There is currently a United States Navy ship in port in Hong Kong, the Blue Ridge, Kristin Haworth, a spokeswoman for the American Consulate in Hong Kong, said by telephone. The Blue Ridge is the command ship of the United States Seventh Fleet.

“We have a long track record of successful visits to Hong Kong, including the U.S.S. Blue Ridge, and we expect that to continue,” she said.

American naval vessels are frequent visitors to Hong Kong, regarded as one of the most desirable ports of call because of its night life and shopping. Before the 1997 return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule, entry was never a problem because the city was governed by Britain.

Since the transfer, the Navy has continued to make port calls in Hong Kong, but the Chinese government has on occasion rejected American requests. In 2007, China denied access to another aircraft carrier, the Kitty Hawk, as well as two minesweepers. In 2002, a guided-missile destroyer, the Curtis Wilbur, was also denied entry.

The families of crew members from the Stennis and other vessels had been told that the ships planned to make a port stop, and many had already bought tickets to visit the sailors while they were there.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/30/wo...hong-kong.html

the problem is? China dont have to let the whole flotilla dock. we don't know the circumstances behind the refusal so the whole article is just bleh.

[Easo]

Meh, China trying to show who's boss. Not like they can do much else.

[Kellhound]

They do that every now and then when they get mad at the US, but the US is still inviting them to RIMPAC.

[Crispin]

I don't really see the issue here, every country is in their right to deny any foreign ships access to their ports afaik.

[Deleted]

Meh, China trying to show who's boss. Not like they can do much else.

You do know Hong Kong has been part of China for some years now?

Lol Americans...

[Noradin]

You do know Hong Kong has been part of China for some years now?

Lol Americans...

Yes, it has been, and China promptly broke the terms of the treaty that gave it to them.
As expected, really. (Kind of like the USA did with Alaska. In fact: In the very same way the USA did with Alaska.)

[Ausr]

You do know Hong Kong has been part of China for some years now?

Lol Americans...

No shit...

Don't even know why you quoted him when he said China and not Hong Kong.

[Skroe]

Yes, it has been, and China promptly broke the terms of the treaty that gave it to them.
As expected, really. (Kind of like the USA did with Alaska. In fact: In the very same way the USA did with Alaska.)

The UK never should have given Hong Kong back.

[Noradin]

The UK never should have given Hong Kong back.

I agree, the inhabitants certainly didn't want them to.

[Hooked]

Well lets deny access to all of their ocean cargo container ships.

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The UK never should have given Hong Kong back.

We should have never named china our WTO most favored trading partner. It was either bush or Clinton that did it those neo holes. So Clintush did it.

[Hooked]

Why would any country allow a hostile foreign navy to use their ports?

Or trade with them?, that's a real head scratcher.

[Stacyrect]

China would just have taken UK, no one likes a pimple on their face ok. If we denied access to China's ships, American economy would fall apart because it wouldnt be able to replace all the broken shit that those ships had. Besides, how else are we supposed to get fake merchandise and dangerously leaded toys? Who would make our fapman aka batman in chinese? Who would make all the skinny people clothing for wal-mart? How many malnourished children would go to school with cheap clothing ripe with embalming fluid or dangerous inects where their was a lack of?\

China enslaves it's own people, nothing wrong with slavery so long it's your own, am I right?

[Hooked]

Don't trade with them then, they clearly hate you lot.

But you failed to answer why china would let a hostile navy use their port facilities.

Because china needs us more than we need them. We don't need china for anything.

[Skulltaker]

Don't trade with them then, they clearly hate you lot.

But you failed to answer why china would let a hostile navy use their port facilities.

How is it hostile? I have no love for the american military and politics, but deniyng them to dock without reason seems stupid. Also, a fleet docked is somewhat less dangerous. Imagine what had happened if they had let them enter and then refused them permission to leave. The sailors however bring a lot of buisness to the people at shore. Unless the USN ships have a hidden agenda (which I cannot see them havin a need to enter the port) I really see no reason to deny them access.

[Skroe]

We should have never named china our WTO most favored trading partner. It was either bush or Clinton that did it those neo holes. So Clintush did it.

Yeah that was a stupid, stupid, stupid mistake. Comparing China and Russia's WTO process just illustrates how much bullshit it was.

China joined the WTO in December 2001. It was basically inducted decades before it should have been, under the hope that a then emerging economic power could be encouraged to be a responsible stakeholder in the international trade system, rather than let them become rich on the outside and want to replace a rules system they had no part in. They were let in before they had liberalized their economy, liberalized their currency, sold off state industries, reformed their economy to WTO standards, reduced trade barriers, and done pretty much everything every other WTO country did before hand. China was let in, because people wanted access to their consumer and manufacturing base.

Russia applied to join the WTO in 1993. It finally joined in 2012. It was basically mercy-ruled. Everything I said about China above? Liberalizing the currency, reducing trade barriers, privatising state industries... Russia was prevented from joining for 18 years because it dragged its feet (and reversed course at times) in doing all of that. As opposed to China, for 18 years the WTO held the line on Russian expectations, until both sides were in 2011, on the verge of saying "fuck it" and let Russia exist outside the WTO for good.

Russia, unlike China, did make major reforms and tried to conform to WTO requirements. China got in the WTO and then proceed to, up to this day, basically ignore actual requirements for the WTO.

The US, Japan, Canada and EU, together, control the WTO. Together they can drag China kicking and screaming before arbitration for their dumping, for their absurd and illegal tariffs, for their IP theft, for their state-sponsored economic espionage. But the Rich world keeps holding its fire in hopes that it can encourage, through carrots, China to play by the rules.

China deserves to be slapped across the face with a gigantic stick for their economic stunts. The good news is, the case is so big, when the day of reckoning comes, it's going to be nasty for the Chinese Government. This is why Trump and his stupid words towards China is so off base. He isn't wrong - China played the US, and the world, for fools by letting it in the WTO, among other things. But throwing up an illegal 40% tariff that would see China drag an isolated US in-front of the WTO. It's a stupid is a stupid strategy. A good strategy is to recruit the EU, Japan, Canada, and other East-Asian nations, an encircle China in WTO so all of them, together, get to put legal and big retaliatory tariffs on China.

[Skroe]

How is it hostile? I have no love for the american military and politics, but deniyng them to dock without reason seems stupid. Also, a fleet docked is somewhat less dangerous. Imagine what had happened if they had let them enter and then refused them permission to leave. The sailors however bring a lot of buisness to the people at shore. Unless the USN ships have a hidden agenda (which I cannot see them havin a need to enter the port) I really see no reason to deny them access.

I think it just would have been politically weird for China to invite the very carrier that just traversed islands China (illegally) claims as its own to make port.

That China is still invited to RIMPAC 2016 is an absurdity in and of itself. RIMPAC training would come in use AGAINST China. But I guess we are going to exhaust all the avenues of "making China a responsible stakeholder" as the canned saying goes, before we give up that hopeless delusion. .

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But your flotilla has nowhere to dock, you need that. Sadly,nwith your countries hostile reputation, some countries won't let you lot use their ports. Must be difficult being so hated.

It's mostly a political thing, and it's only with a handful of countries. most do. Most notably, most countries NEAR China. Including Vietnam, but especially Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

A US carrier making port in China is a symbol of mutual respect from the US to China. If China doesn't want that, that's on them. Personally, we shouldn't send our ships to the country we're most likely to be firing at in the next twenty years.

[Alydael]

I don't really see the issue here, every country is in their right to deny any foreign ships access to their ports afaik.

True, so when the next Chinese ships try to dock in the US, I think we should deny them. I am curious to see if the Chinese response will mimick your post.

[Skroe]

True, so when the next Chinese ships try to dock in the US, I think we should deny them. I am curious to see if the Chinese response will mimick your post.

Warships wouldn't try and dock. It would have been invited in an arranged port call, approved by both country's governments.

That China refused it means, essentially, that they changed their mind, probably as a response to the same carrier strike groups' traversal of the South China Sea that China claims, last month.

I mean that's fine and all. It doesn't mean anything really. But it does underscore how out of place inviting China to RIMPAC is.

[Alydael]

Yeah that was a stupid, stupid, stupid mistake. Comparing China and Russia's WTO process just illustrates how much bullshit it was.

China joined the WTO in December 2001. It was basically inducted decades before it should have been, under the hope that a then emerging economic power could be encouraged to be a responsible stakeholder in the international trade system, rather than let them become rich on the outside and want to replace a rules system they had no part in. They were let in before they had liberalized their economy, liberalized their currency, sold off state industries, reformed their economy to WTO standards, reduced trade barriers, and done pretty much everything every other WTO country did before hand. China was let in, because people wanted access to their consumer and manufacturing base.

Russia applied to join the WTO in 1993. It finally joined in 2012. It was basically mercy-ruled. Everything I said about China above? Liberalizing the currency, reducing trade barriers, privatising state industries... Russia was prevented from joining for 18 years because it dragged its feet (and reversed course at times) in doing all of that. As opposed to China, for 18 years the WTO held the line on Russian expectations, until both sides were in 2011, on the verge of saying "fuck it" and let Russia exist outside the WTO for good.

Russia, unlike China, did make major reforms and tried to conform to WTO requirements. China got in the WTO and then proceed to, up to this day, basically ignore actual requirements for the WTO.

The US, Japan, Canada and EU, together, control the WTO. Together they can drag China kicking and screaming before arbitration for their dumping, for their absurd and illegal tariffs, for their IP theft, for their state-sponsored economic espionage. But the Rich world keeps holding its fire in hopes that it can encourage, through

Typical China, joins an organization, then says "F U" to the rules. China recently signed the climate agreements, what do you think the chance is that they are actually in compliance?

As for the " screaming before arbitration for their dumping, for their absurd and illegal tariffs, for their IP theft, for their state-sponsored economic espionage. " They will never be taken to task for it. For whatever reason the western powers have decided to bow at the altar of China. China has realized this and is running with it. I would expect even worst craziness.

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Warships wouldn't try and dock. It would have been invited in an arranged port call, approved by both country's governments.

That China refused it means, essentially, that they changed their mind, probably as a response to the same carrier strike groups' traversal of the South China Sea that China claims, last month.

I mean that's fine and all. It doesn't mean anything really. But it does underscore how out of place inviting China to RIMPAC is.

I mean their trade ships. Take your cheap junk products back! Hit em in the pocket- watch them cry.