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HONG KONG – China has rejected a request to visit a US warship in Hong Kong, US officials said Tuesday.
The incident occurred in a context of growing tensions between Beijing and Washington over tariffs and followed last week the US sanctions imposed on China after it bought weapons from Russia.
The US Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, was scheduled to make a stopover in the former British colony of Hong Kong in October, diplomatic sources told Reuters.
"The Chinese government has not approved the request for US port visit to Hong Kong by the USS Wasp," said a spokeswoman for the US consulate in the city.
"We have a long history of successful port visits to Hong Kong, and we expect this to continue," she added.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang did not respond directly to a question about China's rejection of the request.
"For requests to visit US military ships in Hong Kong, China has always proceeded to approvals on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the principle of sovereignty and the detailed situation," he told reporters without giving more details. details.
In 2016, as land claims over the South China Sea became increasingly tense, China rejected a request for a visit from a group of US strikers led by John C. Stennis in Hong Kong.
On Saturday, China convened the US ambassador to Beijing and postponed joint military talks to protest against the US's decision to sanction a Chinese military agency and its director for buying Russian fighter jets and a missile system surface to air.
China and the United States are also involved in an increasingly bitter trade war that has intensified this week.
On Monday, Trump raised taxes on Chinese imports by $ 250 billion. Beijing fought back by imposing penalties on $ 60 billion worth of US goods.
The dispute arises from complaints filed by the United States. Beijing steals or forces foreign companies to give up technology. US officials say China's state-owned global development projects in robotics and other technologies are violating its market-opening obligations and could undermine industrial leadership American.
Earlier Tuesday, a Chinese official said that China could not talk with Washington to stop the trade dispute while the United States "held a knife" around Beijing's neck by imposing tariff increases. .
Beijing is open to negotiations, but the decision is made by Washington, said Deputy Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen.
