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HONG KONG: The USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier has made its first stop in Hong Kong since it was denied access by Beijing over the Thanksgiving holiday last year.
The US Navy said the move marks a 'return to status quo' - allowing some 40 ships to call at the SAR annually.
China barred the USS Kitty Hawk and its accompanying ships from Hong Kong last November, leaving thousands of servicemen unable to celebrate Thanksgiving with relatives who had flown in specially to join them.
In a sign of improved cooperation earlier this year, the USS Nimitz and Blue Ridge have since been granted permission to visit.
Chinese authorities have yet to give a clear reason for the rejection in November after calling it a 'misunderstanding'.
Rear-Admiral Richard Wren, US Navy, said: "We're not completely satisfied with the answer. We were never provided with a concise explanation. I know that some of those discussions have taken place way above me and I just don't think they've been completely satisfied."
It had been reported that a large-scale naval exercise by the Chinese Navy was the reason why China refused Kitty Hawk access.
Analysts believe that Beijing was then unhappy about US plans to help Taiwan upgrade its missile system and a Washington visit by Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
This is also the USS Kitty Hawk's last visit to Hong Kong before it gets decommissioned in the summer.
It is the US Navy's oldest ship and in its 47-year history, has seen a fair share of action. The USS George Washington will replace the Kitty Hawk as the forward-deployed carrier at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.
- CNA/so
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