China did not approve a U.S. warship entry to Hong Kong next month, days after Washington slapped sanctions to the Chinese military for buying Russian weapons, Bloomberg informed.
The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong confirmed on Wednesday that China had rejected a request for the port call by the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship, the USS Wasp.
“The Chinese Government did not approve a request for a U.S. port visit to Hong Kong by the USS Wasp,” Darragh Paradiso, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, said in an email. “We have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong, and we expect that will continue.”
The ship is part of a group based in Sasebo, Japan, and operating in the Indo-Pacific region.
Beijing’s move came after the U.S. last Thursday penalized China’s Equipment Development Department — the agency that oversees the country’s defense technology — and its director Li Shangfu for allegedly engaging in the purchase of Russian combat aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air missiles, which it called a violation of American sanctions.
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