In an sharp deterioration of diplomatic ties, China has blocked a request for a U.S. warship to visit the post of Hong Kong, the U.S. consulate in the Chinese city said on Tuesday, amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington over escalating tariffs and a U.S. decision to impose sanctions on China's military for engaging in military deals with Russia.

The ship, the Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group, is currently in the East China Sea, according to the WSJ which notes that Beijing's decision will affect hundreds of service members serving on board. The Wasp, which can support as many as 1,600 Marines and sailors, has been at sea since August. Its home port is in Sasebo, Japan. The amphibious assault ship Wasp was due to make a port call in the former British colony of Hong Kong in October, diplomatic sources said, however Beijing flatly denied the request.

"The Chinese Government did not approve a request for a U.S. port visit to Hong Kong by the USS Wasp,” a consulate spokeswoman said adding that "we have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong, and we expect that to continue."

Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang did not directly answer a question on whether China had denied the request: "For requests for U.S. military ships to visit Hong Kong, China has always carried out approvals case by case, in accordance with the principle of sovereignty and the detailed situation,” he told reporters cryptically.

Beijing previously denied passage by U.S. military vessels in a similar expression of displeasure. In April 2016, a time of tension over the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, it refused the U.S. aircraft carrier John C. Stennis a visit to Hong Kong.

Separately, China also canceled an upcoming meeting between top naval officers from the two countries, as we reported previously following China's decision to summon the US ambassador after the US imposed sanctions on Chinese entities in retaliation for purchasing Su-35 combat aircraft and equipment for S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia in late 2017 and early 2018 from Russia.

Chinese Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong was scheduled to meet in the U.S. with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson at the International Seapower Symposium, a gathering of global naval officials in Rhode Island, according to the Journal.

"We were informed that Vice Adm. Shen Jinlong has been recalled to China and won’t conduct a visit with Adm. Richardson. We have no additional information at this time,” Pentagon spokesman and Army Lt. Col. David Eastburn told the newspaper in a statement.

China and the United States are also embroiled in an increasingly bitter trade war, which culminated this week with a decision by the Trump administration ti impose its latest round of tariffs on China earlier this month, targeting $200 billion of Chinese imports. That announcement prompted China to retaliate with tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. imports. </s> • Amid a number of economic, geopolitical, and military disputes between China and the US, Beijing has rejected a US Navy warship's request to make a port call in Hong Kong next month.
• The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp is operating in the East China Sea.
• The rejection of the ship's port call request comes as the US and China quarrel over trade and sanctions, as well as longstanding issues like the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, and Taiwan.

China has refused to grant a US Navy warship permission to make a port call in Hong Kong, the local US consulate reported Tuesday, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, which carries the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, was expected to visit the former British colony next month, according to The Wall Street Journal. But Beijing has denied the US Navy's request, another sign of deteriorating ties between the US and China.

It is not uncommon for China to deny US port call requests when it is displeased with the countries' relations — as was the case in April 2016, when Beijing refused to allow the aircraft carrier USS John Stennis to visit Hong Kong amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.

Locked in an intensifying trade war, both Washington and Beijing have targeted one another with hundreds of billions of dollars in punitive trade tariffs. The US is criticizing China for economic aggression and unfair trade practices, and China perceives US actions as a clear exercise in containment, an effort by the hegemonic power to cripple the rise of a developing challenger.

The US imposed a 10% tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese products Monday, and China immediately retaliated with duties on $60 billion in American goods.

Tensions, however, extend well beyond economic exchanges and into military ties. The US sanctioned the primary procurement division of the Chinese military for purchasing Russian weapons systems in violation of sanctions, namely the advanced Su-35 fighter jet and the S-400 surface-to-air missile system. China expressed "outrage" and accused the US of trying to constrain its military power. Beijing warned that it would take "countermeasures" if the US did not "correct its mistake."

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad over the sanctions. Meanwhile, China's defense ministry recalled Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong, canceling a scheduled meeting with his US counterpart, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, Reuters reported.

Further complicating matters, the US has approved a $330 million arms deal with Taiwan that will improve the combat readiness of Taiwan's air assets. Chinese state media strongly urged the US to cancel the deal and suspend military-to-military relations with Taiwan, which Beijing considers a separatist province.

All of this comes as other longstanding issues, such as the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula, continue to weigh heavily on the relationship between the US and China, two major powers with national interests often in conflict with one another. </s> The withdrawal of the invitation was confirmed by the US consulate in Hong Kong

Chinese authorities had given USS Wasp, and a contingent of US marines, permission to visit but this has now been rescinded.

The withdrawal of the invitation was confirmed by the US consulate in Hong Kong.

The decision was taken in response to the US imposing sanctions on a Chinese state arms company which had been buying weapons from Russia.

China also recalled a senior naval commander, Admiral Shen Jinglong, from a US naval conference following the sanctions announcement. </s> China has refused to grant a US Navy warship permission to make a port call in Hong Kong, the local US consulate reported Tuesday, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, which carries the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, was expected to visit the former British colony next month, according to The Wall Street Journal. But Beijing has denied the US Navy's request, another sign of deteriorating ties between the US and China.

It is not uncommon for China to deny US port call requests when it is displeased with the countries' relations — as was the case in April 2016, when Beijing refused to allow the aircraft carrier USS John Stennis to visit Hong Kong amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.

Locked in an intensifying trade war, both Washington and Beijing have targeted one another with hundreds of billions of dollars in punitive trade tariffs. The US is criticizing China for economic aggression and unfair trade practices, and China perceives US actions as a clear exercise in containment, an effort by the hegemonic power to cripple the rise of a developing challenger.

The US imposed a 10% tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese products Monday, and China immediately retaliated with duties on $60 billion in American goods.

Tensions, however, extend well beyond economic exchanges and into military ties. The US sanctioned the primary procurement division of the Chinese military for purchasing Russian weapons systems in violation of sanctions, namely the advanced Su-35 fighter jet and the S-400 surface-to-air missile system. China expressed "outrage" and accused the US of trying to constrain its military power. Beijing warned that it would take "countermeasures" if the US did not "correct its mistake."

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad over the sanctions. Meanwhile, China's defense ministry recalled Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong, canceling a scheduled meeting with his US counterpart, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, Reuters reported.

Further complicating matters, the US has approved a $330 million arms deal with Taiwan that will improve the combat readiness of Taiwan's air assets. Chinese state media strongly urged the US to cancel the deal and suspend military-to-military relations with Taiwan, which Beijing considers a separatist province.

All of this comes as other longstanding issues, such as the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula, continue to weigh heavily on the relationship between the US and China, two major powers with national interests often in conflict with one another. </s> WASHINGTON—The Chinese government denied a U.S. Navy ship permission for a port visit to Hong Kong next month, U.S. military officials said Monday, a decision issued as Beijing also canceled a high-level naval meeting in the U.S.

The rebuffs come as tensions burgeon between the two countries over a range of military and economic differences. </s> BEIJING (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Friday issued an expanded health alert for all of China amid reports some U.S. diplomats based in the country had experienced a mysterious malady that resembles a brain injury and has already affected U.S. personnel in Cuba.

The entrance of the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China June 7, 2018. REUTERS/Sue-Lin Wong

A previous statement in May only mentioned the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou as the location for the health alert, though it was sent to U.S. citizens throughout the country.

The State Department had confirmed earlier that one U.S. employee assigned to the consulate in Guangzhou had “suffered a medical incident”, and that it had deployed a team to screen employees and family members there.

On Wednesday the U.S. government said that it had brought a group of people from that consulate back to the United States for further evaluation of their symptoms, and that it was offering screening to anyone at the U.S. embassy in Beijing or other consulates in China who requested it.

The United States also operates consulates in the mainland Chinese cities of Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenyang and Wuhan.

The location of the health alert was changed to “countrywide” from Guangzhou in the updated statement sent by email.

“The State Department received medical confirmation that a U.S. government employee in China suffered a medical incident consistent with what other U.S. government personnel experienced in Havana, Cuba,” the statement said, reiterating comments made last month by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

It warned of “unexplained physical symptoms or events, auditory or sensory phenomena”, and said symptoms of the ailment included dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, fatigue, cognitive issues, visual problems, ear complaints and hearing loss, as well as difficulty sleeping.

China has said that it thoroughly investigated the initial case reported by the United States and found no reasons or clues to explain it.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that as far as she was aware the Chinese government had not had any formal communication with U.S. officials on any new cases.

China’s state-run Global Times tabloid called the situation at the consulate “very strange”.

“Practically all Chinese people do not believe that this country’s official organizations would carry out such sonic attacks against U.S. diplomats. This does not fit with China’s basic concept and principles of diplomacy, and is inconceivable,” the Global Times said in an editorial.

It also said people found it hard to believe that another foreign country could carry out such an attack in China, escape China’s monitoring, and leave no trace.

Last year, 24 U.S. government employees and family members in Cuba displayed the symptoms, which were similar to those related to concussion and mild traumatic brain injury, according to the State Department.

The illnesses among the American diplomats stationed in Havana heightened tension between the old Cold War foes.

Pompeo released a statement on Tuesday saying the department established a task force last month “to direct a multi-agency response to the unexplained health incidents”. </s> BEIJING (AP) — The British foreign ministry said it is “extremely concerned” about an employee of its consulate in Hong Kong who has been missing since crossing into China on a business trip.

A statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it is seeking information from Hong Kong and Guangdong province about the fate of the employee, who was detained while crossing from the Chinese city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong.

Local media reports identified him as Simon Cheng Man-kit, a trade and investment officer at the Scottish Development International section of the consulate. The reports say he attended a business event in Shenzhen on Aug. 8 but never returned to Hong Kong despite plans to do so the same day.

“We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen. We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong,” said the statement, which was forwarded by the British Embassy in Beijing.

It is unclear whether the man possessed a diplomatic passport, but the seizure of consular staff of any status or rank is highly unusual. Despite Beijing’s declaration of a “golden era” in Sino-British ties, relations have grown tense in recent months amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, a British colony for 156 years before its handover to Chinese rule in 1997.

Asked about the case at a daily briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang responded, “I’m not aware of that.”

Press officers for the Guangdong police and Ministry of Public Security could not be reached by phone. The ministry did not immediately respond to faxed questions about the case. </s> Topline: Britain has expressed concern over media reports that an employee at its consulate in Hong Kong has been detained in mainland China after visiting Shenzhen on August 8.
• Fears were raised after Simon Cheng, 28, failed to turn up to work on August 9. He was due to return from a business meeting in Shenzhen the day before, according to Hong Kong news site HK01. On the night of his planned return, he told his girlfriend over the phone that he was on the train back, before he lost connection.
• A representative from Britain’s consulate in Hong Kong said: “We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen. We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong and Hong Kong.”
• Cheng, a trade and investment officer who worked in the consulate's Scottish International Development department, has since been reported missing. Cheng’s girlfriend and family believe he has been detained by the Chinese authorities.
• Hong Kong Police said at a press conference on Tuesday it had not been notified by mainland officials over the detention of Cheng.
• Hong Kong’s immigration department confirmed to Reuters that it had received a request for assistance from one of Cheng’s family members, and it said it was assisting the family.

Key background: The disappearance of Simon Cheng cuts to the core of the political crisis that has gripped Hong Kong for the last three months. Millions of Hong Kongers have taken to the streets over the last 11 weeks to voice their opposition to the city government's now-suspended plan to create an extradition bill with mainland China.

Opposition and business leaders in the semi-autonomous Chinese city voiced concerns about the rule of law in China, and the use of "black jails" and the forced disappearances of dissident voices by mainland authorities.

The disappearance of Cheng, a trade official, with the British Consulate in Hong Kong follows reports police at the mainland border were checking travellers' phones for evidence of involvement in the protest movement. Chinese officials and state-media have sabre-rattled for weeks over British and U.S. politicians, including President Donald Trump, speaking out over police crackdowns over the protesters that have broadened to include calls for free elections, and protections of civil liberties guaranteed following the handover of the former British colony in 1997. </s> Hong Kong: Britain's Foreign Office said Tuesday it was "extremely concerned" by reports that a Hong Kong consulate employee had been detained by mainland Chinese authorities on his way back to the city.

The Hong Kong consulate refused to confirm the man's name or further details of the apparent incident.

But reports in local news outlet HK01 said the consulate employee had failed to return after travelling to Shenzhen in Guangdong province, an hour outside Hong Kong, for a one-day business meeting on August 8.

"We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen," a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said in a statement.

"We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong," it added.

The incident comes as the financial hub is facing its worst political crisis in decades.

Pro-democracy protesters have staged weeks of rallies that have often descended into violent clashes between police and protesters.

The demonstrations were triggered by a controversial extradition law but have broadened into a call for wider democratic reforms.

China had promised to respect the freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory after its handover from Britain in 1997.

Hong Kong enjoys liberties unseen on the mainland, including freedom of speech, unfettered access to the internet and an independent judiciary.
The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong says that China denied a request for a port call to Hong Kong by the USS Wasp. China says that it handles approvals "case by case, in accordance with the principle of sovereignty".