China’s refusal of U. S. port visit could escalate tensions

Aircraft carrier group denied in Hong Kong amid territory dispute

China’s surprise rejection TOKYO of a port visit by a U. S. aircraft carrier last week could signal a further escalation of tensions in the disputed South China Sea.

Chinese authorities refused last week to grant permission for the USS John C. Stennis battle group to make a routine port call in Hong Kong. It is the first time in nearly a decade that China has turned away a U. S. carrier.

The move came two weeks after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter used a high- profile visit to the Stennis to criticize China’s territorial claims and island-building campaign in the South China Sea, a critical waterway that supports $ 5 trillion a year in international trade.

China has claimed sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea and has built a string of landfill islands with militarygrade runways and port facilities to bolster its position.

The refusal to host the Stennis battle group was a response — and challenge — to Carter’s visit, said Grant Newsham, senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo.

Taiwan and four other countries claim territory in the South China Sea and have protested China’s actions. The United States is concerned China could use the islands to interfere with sea and air navigation.

China gave no reason for denying the request for the Stennis and its four escort vessels to visit Hong Kong from Tuesday to Sunday.

The move came after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter used a visit to the Stennis to criticize China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.