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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Admiral 'Perplexed' by Snub at Hong Kong |
| 2007-11-24 |
| The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific said he's "perplexed and concerned" by China's last-minute decision to deny a U.S. aircraft carrier entry to Hong Kong for a previously scheduled port visit. Don't be perplexed, Admiral. What they did was quite clear. The USS Kitty Hawk and its escort ships were due to dock there for a four-day visit Wednesday until they were refused access. Hundreds of family members had flown to Hong Kong to spend Thanksgiving with their sailors. Making this an especially clear message. "It's hard to put any kind of positive spin on this," Adm. Timothy Keating told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday while flying back to the U.S. after visiting troops in Iraq. "I'm perplexed and concerned." It's the exact same as when some jerk at the bar intentionally bumps into you and makes you spill your beer on your shirt. That's the kind of slap this was. China later reversed its decision and said the ships could enter on humanitarian grounds, but the notice came while the vessels were already on their way back to their home ports. The vessels chose not to turn around. As it should have been. The Chinese constructed the situation the exact way they wanted it, and the only "out" left for us was to humiliatingly accept "humanitarian assistance" from them. This refusal and then reversal put the onus on us to save the day and be responsible for the sailors' families. This is the way the Chinese plan, it's devious and you have only the ways out that they leave for you. Thousands of sailors aboard the Kitty Hawk and its carrier battle group marked the Thanksgiving holiday at sea. Chinese warships visited U.S. naval bases in Pearl Harbor and San Diego last year, and the two navies have since held basic search-and-rescue exercises together. Asked if the refusal to let the Kitty Hawk into Hong Kong would hurt the U.S.-China military relationship, Keating said: "We'll keep working it of course, but it is difficult for me to characterize this in a positive light." Our response to this insult will be watched carefully. To ignore it would be a green light to proceed with larger ideas in the future. The admiral said he would to talk to officials at the State Department and the Pentagon to determine how to respond. Keating, who heads the U.S. Pacific Command from its Hawaii headquarters, said he was unaware of any reason for China's decision. "It's my understanding the Chinese just said 'no,'" he said. Yup, that's what they do. One word, "no". I remember getting a 3 month visa instead of a 6 month visa, and I insisted there had been some mixup in the paperwork. The lady informed me I had a 3 month visa, and that was it. I asked why, and she replied, "mei you wei shen me", which in Chinese literally means "no why". No why...well, that explains the situation! Thanks, Chinese government person. The 46-year-old USS Kitty Hawk is the only U.S. aircraft carrier permanently deployed abroad. P.S. SHITTY KITTY SHITTY KITTY |
| Posted by:gromky |
| #13 Actually take OldSpook's idea a bit further and do the same thing the Russian did to China. Sell it to Taiwan for an amusement park. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-11-24 23:53 |
| #12 What do NCOs do best, Pappy? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-11-24 23:15 |
| #11 How about a low level formation of Hornets breaking the sound barrier over Victory Harbour? I wonder if he rings up the Pentagon before hitting the head. I can assure you he'd be hearing from the Pentagon long before the sonic booms went away. Teling him his replacement will be there just as quickly. Do me a favor - do what NCOs do best, ok? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2007-11-24 23:08 |
| #10 I second OldSpook's idea. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-11-24 21:28 |
| #9 My sister-in-law just noticed that an artificial Christmas tree she'd bought on sale was from China. Remembering all the recent stories about lead in children's toys, she decided to return it, just in case. The lady is about as apolitical as one can get, but still she made that choice this morning. It's going to be a very interesting shopping season. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-11-24 20:48 |
| #8 Dozens of Chinese ships visit US ports every day. Do American leaders have the courage to say 'NO"? |
| Posted by: ed 2007-11-24 19:06 |
| #7 The gift to Japan idea has great merit I think. More than anything, we must respond to this calculated insult with a carefully calculated smack in response. This was a jab, and it needs a jab back. These people see themselves as our enemy, and I think they are right. We need to re-industrialize America and stop buying their products which have funded the greatest military buildup, in recent history. Couple the wealth we are givinvg them with the technology they are stealing, the are leaping entire decades of development. |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2007-11-24 18:50 |
| #6 OP__ considering who just took over the Oz gov't, I think I'd wait a bit on that xmas gift idea |
| Posted by: Elmoluting B. Hayes7559 2007-11-24 17:11 |
| #5 Good inline, gromky. We really need to jam a stick into China's spokes. I vote for an Olympics boycott. It would cost them billions of dollars in lost tourist revenue and represent an incontrovertible loss of face like few others in their history. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-24 16:05 |
| #4 Give her to Taiwan, let them modernize her. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-11-24 15:36 |
| #3 Too bad the Kitty Hawk couldn't take all the families aboard and steam out of Hong Kong. I would not allow any Chicom military in the US any more. They take but they do not give. They need a message, too. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-11-24 15:34 |
| #2 I spent a few days aboard the "Shitty Kitty" off the coast of Vietnam in 1971, working with the Navy photo interpreters on a special project, so I kind of like the old tub. There was an article in today's local paper suggesting that one of the reasons for the Chinese behavior was President Bush's recent presentation to the Dahlai Lama of the US Freedom Medal. The Kitty Hawk is the last, or one of the last, oil-fired carriers in the US Navy, and has been scheduled for decommissioning several times. We really ought to twist the dragon's tail by giving the ship to the Japanese, once the US decommissions it. I'm sure the Japanese will know how to use it effectively. We also need to either find or build a carrier battle group for Australia. They and the Japanese could team up to help us defend the Philippines and contain the islamonutz in Indonesia and Malaysia. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-11-24 15:21 |
| #1 The admiral said he would to talk to officials at the State Department and the Pentagon to determine how to respond. How about a low level formation of Hornets breaking the sound barrier over Victory Harbour? I wonder if he rings up the Pentagon before hitting the head. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-11-24 15:08 |