OT? - China Bans U.S. Military Plane From Hong Kong

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China Bans U.S. Military Plane From Hong Kong

Updated 6:35 AM ET August 4, 1999

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has refused to let a U.S. military plane on a routine flight land in Hong Kong, despite apparently lifting a ban on such stopovers last week, a U.S. Consulate spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Beijing "notified the U.S. through normal official channels that a request for a U.S. military flight stopover into Hong Kong has been denied," U.S. spokeswoman Barbara Zigli said.

China gave no reason for its denial, but Beijing summoned a U.S. embassy official Monday to protest against Washington's announced sale of US$550 million worth of military aircraft and other weapons to China's arch-rival Taiwan.

China and Taiwan, which Beijing views as a renegade province, have been locked in a bitter public dispute in recent weeks over the status of the island. Beijing has said it would take military action if Taiwan declares its independence.

China's refusal to allow the stopover came days after Beijing permitted the first U.S. military aircraft to land in Hong Kong since NATO bombs wrecked China's Belgrade embassy on May 7.

Beijing granted permission for a U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo flight to land last Thursday, signaling the end of the ban.

China, which oversees Hong Kong defense and foreign policies, has banned U.S. warships since the embassy bombing, which killed three Chinese nationals.

Eight U.S. navy ships have been denied permission to enter the former British colony since the embassy bombing.

U.S. military visits to the South China Sea port continued uninterrupted after Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in July 1997, with about 70 U.S. warships visiting in 1998 and pumping about US$50 million into the local economy.

China's decision to lift the aircraft ban last week was seen as a step in improving relations after Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met in Sing

-- Forum regular (keeping @n eye on the.world), August 04, 1999

Answers

The lies and mis-steps of this traitorous adninistration go on.

How many here had heard that flights/warships were banned from Hong Kong? Not me. Nothing but lies and deceptions --- but we're supposed to believe everything is "OK".

Sure it is, right up until the first nuke is launched or the power goes out.

-- Jon Johnson (narnia4@usa.net), August 04, 1999.


Jon, speaking of which ...

This just up on AP Breaking News:

8/4/99 -- 11:37 AM

POWER FAILURE CAUSES FIRST BLACKOUT IN VOA HISTORY

WASHINGTON (AP) - A massive power failure forced the Voice of America off the air Tuesday night for the first time in its history.

The disruption lasted up to three hours for some English-language services, for a few minutes for some other services.

``The amazing thing is how people in our master-control used telephone lines to feed relay stations around the world. It's pretty impressive what they did,'' Sanford Ungar, the VOA director, said.

The power system gave way at 8:53 p.m. EST.
---------------------------------------------------------

Where did this power failure touchdown?

xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), August 04, 1999.


An update about an hour later added this tidbit:

The failure was not in Potomac Electric Co'.s regular supply of power but in VOA's transforming equipment, which gave way at 8:53 p.m.

Link

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), August 04, 1999.


All right, man, that's IT! Who do they think they ARE? No more stealing secrets unless they submit a properly filled out requisition! In TRIPLICATE! (snarl!)

No more bribes unless they use brand new hundred dollar bills (and they better smile when they deliver them)! This administration has standards!

Heyyy...you have to maintain national dignity, right? Thus does the american eagle shows it's claw! It used to be claws, but...um... the President appears to have used up most of the others in Kosovo.

-- Greg Lawrence (greg@speakeasy.org), August 05, 1999.


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