|
Admiral 'Perplexed' by Snub at Hong Kong
The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific said he's "perplexed and concerned" by China's last-minute decision to deny a U.S. aircraft carrier entry to Hong Kong for a previously scheduled port visit. Don't be perplexed, Admiral. What they did was quite clear. The USS Kitty Hawk and its escort ships were due to dock there for a four-day visit Wednesday until they were refused access. Hundreds of family members had flown to Hong Kong to spend Thanksgiving with their sailors. Making this an especially clear message. "It's hard to put any kind of positive spin on this," Adm. Timothy Keating told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday while flying back to the U.S. after visiting troops in Iraq. "I'm perplexed and concerned." It's the exact same as when some jerk at the bar intentionally bumps into you and makes you spill your beer on your shirt. That's the kind of slap this was. China later reversed its decision and said the ships could enter on humanitarian grounds, but the notice came while the vessels were already on their way back to their home ports. The vessels chose not to turn around. As it should have been. The Chinese constructed the situation the exact way they wanted it, and the only "out" left for us was to humiliatingly accept "humanitarian assistance" from them. This refusal and then reversal put the onus on us to save the day and be responsible for the sailors' families. This is the way the Chinese plan, it's devious and you have only the ways out that they leave for you. Thousands of sailors aboard the Kitty Hawk and its carrier battle group marked the Thanksgiving holiday at sea. Chinese warships visited U.S. naval bases in Pearl Harbor and San Diego last year, and the two navies have since held basic search-and-rescue exercises together. Asked if the refusal to let the Kitty Hawk into Hong Kong would hurt the U.S.-China military relationship, Keating said: "We'll keep working it of course, but it is difficult for me to characterize this in a positive light." Our response to this insult will be watched carefully. To ignore it would be a green light to proceed with larger ideas in the future. The admiral said he would to talk to officials at the State Department and the Pentagon to determine how to respond. Keating, who heads the U.S. Pacific Command from its Hawaii headquarters, said he was unaware of any reason for China's decision. "It's my understanding the Chinese just said 'no,'" he said. Yup, that's what they do. One word, "no". I remember getting a 3 month visa instead of a 6 month visa, and I insisted there had been some mixup in the paperwork. The lady informed me I had a 3 month visa, and that was it. I asked why, and she replied, "mei you wei shen me", which in Chinese literally means "no why". No why...well, that explains the situation! Thanks, Chinese government person. The 46-year-old USS Kitty Hawk is the only U.S. aircraft carrier permanently deployed abroad. P.S. SHITTY KITTY SHITTY KITTY Posted by: gromky 2007-11-24 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=209126 |