A lonely Thanksgiving at sea, courtesy of the Communist Party

China flexed its muscle this week, and reminded everyone who really controls Hong Kong, when it denied the USS Kitty Hawk from stopping there for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

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.

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.

“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.”

The Kitty Hawk makes regular appearances in Hong Kong, and this was a last minute decision made by the Chinese government. One can only guess as to the reason, but perhaps George W. Bush’s decision to award the Dalai Lama with the US Congressional Gold Medal had something to do with it.
Which reminds me that for all of China’s bluster, it is taking shots at some foreign countries for their steadfastness in meeting with His Holiness. Year of Germany celebrations were to take place early next year in several cities in China, and all the events have been cancelled in connection with Angela Merkel’s decision to meet the Dalai.
As a senior person in my company said: “20 years ago, China needed foreign investment. Now we don’t, and we don’t need to put up with foreign countries who make the Chinese people unhappy.” She went on to say that trade with Germany could be easily replaced by trade with a country that adheres to China’s values.
Is this attitude a sign of things to come?