China denies US Navy ship visits to Hong Kong amid unrest

Washington: US officials said the Chinese government has denied requests for two US Navy ships to make port visits to Hong Kong amid civil unrest.

Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a deputy spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said on Tuesday the USS Green Bay had been scheduled to visit Hong Kong on August 17 and the USS Lake Erie was scheduled to visit in September.

Christensen said it was up to China to say why it denied the requests. He said the US Navy expects port visits to Hong Kong to resume.

The last Navy ship to visit was the USS Blue Ridge in April 2019. Riot police clashed briefly with pro-democracy protesters at Hong Kong's airport Tuesday on the second day of demonstrations that caused mass cancellations and disruptions.