China cancels US ship port call amid tensions: official

China has refused another planned port call by a US warship amid soaring tensions between the Pacific powers on trade, a US official said Wednesday.

"We did recently receive word that it was inconvenient for them to host a previously planned port call to Qingdao," said Randall Schriver, the assistant secretary of defense in charge of Asia.

Qingdao is a major port in eastern China that has long been considered strategic and has become a major hub for the country's "Belt and Road" global infrastructure initiative.

It is the latest cancellation by China, which earlier this month denied requests for two US Navy ships to dock in Hong Kong, which has been rocked by protests seeking to preserve the city's autonomy.

Port calls are largely exercises in public relations but also indicate a desire between powers to work together in an often tense region.

Schriver said that the United States hoped the latest port call could be rescheduled, saying the two militaries should try to enhance coordination and safety measures.

"Going forward, we want a US-China mil-to-mil relationship that plays a stabilizing role in the overall relationship," he said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

But he said that the United States remained concerned over Beijing's militarization of the South China Sea and fears that Beijing will crack down on dissent in Hong Kong.

Trade tensions have soared between the world's two largest economies, with President Donald Trump demanding that Beijing stop intellectual property theft and buy more US products.

Trump last week declared Chinese President Xi Jinping to be an enemy and announced tariffs on another $550 billion of imports before saying that negotiations would resume soon.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Indonesia picks Borneo island for new capital
Jakarta (AFP) Aug 26, 2019
Indonesia will move its capital to the eastern edge of jungle-clad Borneo island, President Joko Widodo said Monday, as the country shifts its political heart away from congested and sinking megalopolis Jakarta. The proposed location - near the regional cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda - is an area at "minimal" risk of natural disasters, where the government already owns some 180,000 hectares (445,000 acres) of land, he added. "The location is very strategic - it's in the centre of Indonesi ... read more