US strike group heading to city after visit by senior PLA commander amid drive to ease tensions ahead of Trump-Xi meetingTwo months ago China had refused to allow US warship to berth in city as trade war escalated
An American carrier strike group led by the USS Ronald Reagan was heading to Hong Kong on Tuesday following a visit by a senior People’s Liberation Army commander as the two sides aimed to soothe months of tensions.
Military analysts said the fact that the ships had been given approval to dock on Wednesday indicated that Beijing was trying to calm things down ahead of a meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at the G20 summit at the end of the month.
In September China denied a request by the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp to make a port call in the city.
On Tuesday, Lt Gen Tan Benhong the commander of the PLA garrison in the city, and other officers were invited to land on the deck of the carrier as it sailed towards Hong Kong.
The officers, accompanied on a C-2 military transport plane by a small group of local journalists, were welcomed on board and invited to watch the US navy’s F-18 Super Hornet Fighter jets performing a take-off and landing exercise.
“It is a friendly gesture made by the Chinese side to let the USS Ronald Reagan visit Hong Kong before the scheduled meeting between President Xi and President Trump in Argentina,” Beijing-based military expert Zhou Chenming said.
