Why did China cancel the port visit of the Kitty Hawk to Hong Kong?
A1: China was signaling its concern about and retaliating against recent U.S. actions that it believes have damaged U.S.-China relations. These actions include notifications to Congress of pending arms sales to Taiwan and President Bush’s attendance at the ceremony on Capitol Hill at which the Dalai Lama was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The Chinese have denied U.S. ship visits to Hong Kong in the past to underscore their dissatisfaction with U.S. policy, but usually in response to more severe actions, such as the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999. Q2: From a military perspective, why should this be of concern to us? A2: In the case of the minesweepers, cooperation among seafaring people in the face of dangerous weather is the norm not the exception. Denying safe harbor to two vessels the size of minesweepers, forcing the ships to refuel at sea in order to safely complete their voyage, runs counter to maritime custom. To other seafaring nations and t
