The relationship between the United States and China has become very tense over the last couple years since China began to claim territory in the South China Sea that didn’t belong to them.
The international community has watched with skepticism as China has created man made islands and armed them with heavy artillery which poses a significant threat to one of the world’s largest shipping lanes.
It also doesn’t help that China has been engaging in cyber attacks against America.
Now, it appears the tensions have reached a new level as China is refusing to let an American aircraft carrier dock in Hong Kong.
From Fox News:
China blocked a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier from arriving at a port in Hong Kong as tensions ratcheted up over disputed islands in the South China Sea, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed Friday.
The USS John C. Stennis and escort ships had planned to visit the port next week, Stars & Stripes reports. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not explain why it denied the request.
“We have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong, including with the current visit of the USS Blue Ridge, and we expect that will continue,” Cmdr. Bill Urban told Fox News. The USS Blue Ridge is a Navy command ship.
China claims virtually all of the strategically vital South China Sea and has tried to shore up its control by building islands on coral reefs complete with airstrips, harbors and radar stations.
Read the full story at Fox News