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China has rejected the request of a US warship to visit the port in Hong Kong next month, officials said Tuesday as tensions between the two countries escalated on the military and military fronts. economic.
The cancellation of the planned visit of the Wasp, an amphibious assault ship carrying a contingent of Marines, followed China's decision to Admiral who was in the United States for a naval conference this week.
Both actions were motivated by the Trump administration's decision to impose sanctions on a Chinese military company linked to the People's Liberation Army for buying weapons from Russia. Although the economic impact of the US action on the Chinese remains unclear, the vehemence of Beijing's response suggested that this decision was made.
Growing military tensions came just three months after Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis' visit to Beijing, which is committed to "keeping our relationship on track." Instead, the trade war is escalating in Washington on China's policies.
The actions of the administration coincided with aggressive measures taken by President Trump impose tariffs on Chinese products. This fueled the feeling in Beijing that the deterioration of relations did not concern commercial policy as much as the weakening of China's emergence as a world power.
Even though the news of the cancellation of the port appeal has been made public, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has strongly denounced the announcement by the Trump administration of a new sale of military equipment of $ 330 million to Taiwan, an autonomous island.
Although the equipment consisted of spare parts for aircraft and other equipment, and that it was less important than the previous packages approved by the Trump and Obama administrations, he reported a back from the sale of weapons in Taiwan.
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry welcomed the sale, say on Twitter that this would allow the island "to maintain a robust self-defense".
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the sale could cause "serious damage" to relations with the United States, including "bilateral cooperation in key areas."
The United States no longer officially recognizes Taiwan, but they have maintained close relations and are legally committed to helping the island defend itself, much to China's displeasure.
China appeared even more stunned by the decision to punish the state military company. The State Department announced last week that it would impose sanctions on the Chinese Army Equipment Development Department and its director, Li Shangfu, to buy Su-35 fighter planes and ground missiles. -air S-400 from Russia.
He and the company were among the 33 entities targeted by law promulgated by the US government last year to punish Iran, North Korea and Russia for hostile behavior in the United States.
In the case of Russia, the act aims to punish its military actions in Ukraine and Syria and its interference in the 2016 US elections.
In response, Beijing summoned US Ambassador Terry Branstad over the weekend and continued to criticize the state media.
The authorities have repeatedly stated that military cooperation with Russia – including the purchase of sophisticated weapons – is in line with international law, which is true.
The US consulate in Hong Kong confirmed China's refusal to allow the Wasp warship to visit, but did not specify the reasons for its refusal.
"We have a long history of successful port visits to Hong Kong, and we expect this to continue," said a spokesman in a statement, refusing to be identified in accordance with the department's policy. 39; State.
Mr. Geng, the spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, deported a question about the cancellation of the port visit, but said that China considered the requests on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the sovereignty of the country.
Although Chinese and American armed forces have long been rivals, trade and port visits – which combine diplomacy and public relations with long-awaited flight and marines – have been common over the years.
Last year, the Sterett, a missile-guide destroyer, visited one of China's most sensitive naval bases in Zhanjiang, southern China.
These visits have nevertheless had ups and downs in relations between countries. In 2016, an American plane, the John C. Stennis, planned a visit to Hong Kong, at a time when the Obama administration was becoming more and more frustrated by the expansion by China disputed territory in the South China Sea.
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