Chinese government denies US Navy request to make port visits in Hong Kong during protests

From CNN’s Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne. August 13, 2019

During the unrest in Hong Kong, the US Navy’s requests for two ships to make port visits in the coming weeks have been denied by the Chinese government.

“The Chinese Government denied requests for port visits to Hong Kong by the USS Green Bay and USS Lake Erie, which were scheduled to arrive in the next few weeks,” according to Commander Nate Christensen, deputy spokesperson, US Pacific Fleet.

The USS Green Bay was scheduled to visit Hong Kong on Aug. 17 and USS Lake Erie was scheduled to visit next month.

“The US Navy has a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong, and we expect them to continue. We refer you to the Chinese Government for further information about why they denied the request,” Christensen said.