Singapore/Hong Kong — China has refused a US warship entry into Hong Kong in October, days after Washington sanctioned the Chinese military for buying Russian weapons. The US consulate in Hong Kong confirmed on Wednesday that China had denied a request for the port call by the US Navy’s amphibious assault ship, the USS Wasp. "The Chinese government did not approve a request for a US port visit to Hong Kong by the USS Wasp," Darragh Paradiso, a spokesperson for the US consulate in Hong Kong, said in an e-mail. "We have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong, and we expect that will continue." The vessel is part of a group based in Sasebo, Japan, and operating in the Indo-Pacific region. Beijing’s move came after the US last Thursday penalised China’s Equipment Development Department — the agency that oversees the country’s defence technology — and its director Li Shangfu for allegedly engaging in the purchase of Russian combat aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air mis...
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