CHINA DENIES USS KITTY HAWK PORT ACCESS

Mainland China continues to ramp up its threatening gestures towards the US as tensions mount over the Taiwan and Middle East strategies of both countries. Then of course, there is the toxic toys scandal which continues to replicate almost daily.

The Pentagon criticized China yesterday for denying a Thanksgiving Day port visit to Hong Kong by the USS Kitty Hawk, but would not say whether the snub will lead to limits on military exchanges with Beijing. Pentagon and military officials were stunned by China's abrupt decision on Wednesday to disallow the carrier visit, which was planned for at least a month and timed for the holiday.

"This was a most unfortunate incident that we are still working to better understand," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, adding that it is "premature" to say whether military exchanges with China will be cut back as a result.

However, Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, told reporters in Hawaii that China's decision is a setback for U.S. military relations with Beijing and is not in line with plans for increased exchanges.

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