China Denies Port Visit For US Warship, US Defence Official Says

USS Benfold was the last US Navy ship to visit Qingdao (Picture: US Department of Defense).

China has denied a US Navy warship access to the Chinese port city of Qingdao in recent days, a US defence official told Reuters.

This is the second known time China has turned down a request by the United States in August. 

Early this month, US Navy ships had asked to have access to Hong Kong, but as the crisis in the area deepened, the request was denied.

The US destroyer was supposed to visit the port on Sunday, but the request was denied prior to that, the defence official who wished to remain anonymous told Reuters.

US military warships have occasionally made visits to China, with recent trips dating back to 2017.

The last US Navy ship to visit Qingdao port was the destroyer Benfold in 2016.

China’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the request was denied.

A trade war between the world’s two largest economies has damaged global growth and raised market fears that the world economy could tip into recession.

However, US President Donald Trump raised hopes for a deal that could de-escalate the tariff war on Monday.