China accused the U.S. military of playing a “series of tricks” following its refusal to allow American warships to dock in Hong Kong recently, but said that the military snub should not be blown out of proportion.
In an unsigned opinion piece in the Global Times, an English-language tabloid published by China's ruling Communist Party, China has often given permission for U.S. warships to stop in Hong Kong but has refused on occasion when there is "a chill in Sino-U.S. ties."
"Normally, China does not articulate its reasons, and this has been considered as a diplomatic gesture of expressing its dissatisfaction as well as taking the bilateral divergences under control," the paper said on its opinion piece on Wednesday, citing the Pentagon for having "a series of tricks against China, creating quite an unpleasant atmosphere between the two sides."
The paper added that the U.S. has "started its menacing military deployment against China's offshore interests, showcasing its military muscle by sending naval vessels and warplanes to China," actions it described as a "blowhard performance" by Washington.
"Due to the severe strategic suspicions, military problems have unprecedentedly emerged between the two," the paper said.
The Pentagon announced Friday that a carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, had been denied a port visit in Hong Kong that was planned for this week. The news was passed along to the U.S. from China through a diplomatic note, said a Pentagon official.
U.S. Department of Defense spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban said on Friday that the U.S. has had a "long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong" and are expecting it to continue. U.S. ships have previously been denied port stays in Hong Kong in 2014 and 2007.
China and the U.S. have had a long, complex and strained history, which was further exacerbated in recent years in part due to a dispute over China's controversial territorial claims in the South China Sea and its construction of "artificial islands" that U.S. intelligence says will extend the Chinese military's reach in the region.
In April, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter addressed sailors aboard the Stennis, saying that China's actions in the South China sea are "causing anxiety and raising regional tensions."
"In response, countries across the Asia-Pacific, both long-standing allies and new partners, are reaching out anew to the United States, to uphold the rules and principles that have allowed the region to thrive. And we're answering that call," Carter said. "We're standing with those countries. We're standing up for those rules and principles. We're making new investments in defense technology, and we're continuing to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and we always will."
Despite the rhetoric on both sides, the Global Times stressed that the refusal of the Hong Kong port visit "should be of no consequence to Beijing or Washington."
"As long as the big picture of Beijing-Washington ties is stable, both countries wish for development and cooperation instead of confrontation, the respective militaries will not cross the bottom line of one another, then the U.S.'s blowhard performance will turn out to be only a show for the media," the article said.
Still, the op-ed concludes by saying that the White House has now reached "China's bottom line" and advises Washington to "reflect on this."