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A newspaper owned by China's Communist Party blamed Washington for a spat over a cancelled visit by the United States Navy to Hong Kong that has prompted a formal Defence Department protest.
Chinese authorities at the last minute barred the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and its eight escort vessels from entering Hong Kong harbour and earlier refused port entry for two US Navy minesweepers - USS Guardian and USS Patriot - to escape an approaching storm and receive fuel.
The Global Times, a tabloid published by the official party mouthpiece People's Daily, cited an unidentified People's Liberation Army senior colonel, as blaming Washington's decision to sell Taiwan an anti-missile defence system.
The US Defence Department issued a formal protest to China yesterday over the incidents and a Chinese military officer who is Beijing's defence attache in Washington was called to the Pentagon to accept the protest from a Pentagon Asia policy official.
China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also met with US President George W. Bush yesterday and blamed the incident on "a misunderstanding".
The USS Kitty Hawk, which has its home port near Tokyo, was forced to return early to Japan after hundreds of families of sailors had flown from its base in Japan to spend Thanksgiving weekend in Hong Kong.
Later Chinese officials said the Kitty Hawk could enter the port, but by then the carrier had left the area and did not return.
Navy commanders called the earlier refusal of entry to the minesweepers a serious breach of standard maritime practice under which vessels in distress should be afforded protection.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the complaint to China was related to both incidents.
Beijing's action came as a surprise just weeks after a visit to China by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that has been described by US officials as positive.
There has been speculation that China's move to block the ships was related to irritation over US plans to sell Taiwan an upgrade to its missile system and a meeting between Bush and exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
- AP, Reuters
