DoD issues protest over China ship refusal

[unhappycamper]

China calls incidents a misunderstanding


DoD issues protest over China ship refusal
By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Nov 28, 2007 18:50:01 EST

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department issued a formal protest to China on Wednesday over its refusal to permit Navy ships to enter the port of Hong Kong on two occasions last week.

“We are expressing officially our displeasure with the incident,” the department’s press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters. He said a Chinese military officer who is Beijing’s defense attache in Washington was called to the Pentagon to accept the protest from an Asian specialist. Morrell called it an “a formal protest, an official protest, complaint,” for refusing port entry for two Navy minesweepers and, later, for the Kitty Hawk and its accompanying battle group.

Also, the Chinese foreign minister met with President Bush on Wednesday and blamed the incident on “a misunderstanding.”

Morrell said that it is not yet clear whether the Chinese military officer will indeed heed the summons to come to the Pentagon. Morrell said the summons constituted the official protest, but he did not release the wording.

Navy officials have said they are most troubled by China’s refusal to let the two Navy minesweepers enter Hong Kong harbor to escape an approaching storm and receive fuel. The minesweepers, the Patriot and the Guardian, were instead refueled at sea and returned safely to their home port in Japan.

In addition, the Chinese also refused to allow the Kitty Hawk, a U.S. aircraft carrier, to make a planned Thanksgiving port visit to Hong Kong.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/11/ap_pentagonprotest_071128/

[Double T]

1. Looks like communist china is showing US who is the 'boss'

When the HELL are WE going to WAKE UP?!?!?!

[BR_Parkway]

2. Dear Major Creditor, we are so sorry to have to point this out,but

last week when you wouldn't let us dock, it made us lose face in front of those we depend on for financial support. Obviously we can't kick up much fuss since you own our ass and could tank our entire economy tomorrow, but we would like to humbly ask that you not make us lose face again. Thank you,

George

(and yes, I'm one very disillusioned veteran - we've sold our country out for plastic geehaws sold at Wal-Mart)