November 29, 2007 (LPAC)--Today China said that the denial of permission for the U.S. Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and its battle group to visit Hong Kong on Thanksgiving was the result of the Bush administration's proposal to sell upgrades for Patriot anti-missile batteries to Taiwan and also, because of Bush's meeting with the Dalai Lama (who Lyndon LaRouche calls the "stuffed puppet, Dolly Lama) in Washington this past October. Beijing also said that foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had not told President Bush in a meeting Wednesday that the decision to deny the ship visits was a "misunderstanding," as the White House had erroneously reported.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Liu Jianchao, said in Beijing today, "Reports that Foreign Minister Yang said in the United States that it was a misunderstanding do not accord with the facts." He added that China had "grave concern" over United States weapons sales to Taiwan.

The Global Times, a tabloid published by the Chinese government newspaper The People's Daily, quoted an unidentified senior Chinese navy captain saying Taiwan had become an even more sensitive issue because of President Chen Shui-bian's campaign to win a seat for Taiwan at the UN. "But, the U.S. went ahead and sold Taiwan Patriot II missile systems and related equipment. This obviously sends Chen Shui-bian a wrong signal. That is why a lot of activity between China and America was stopped. After the U.S. seriously harms China's interests, it still asks for an embrace from China. There is no reason in the world for us to do so."

Also, days before permission was denied for the Kitty Hawk visit, China had refused permission for two U.S. Navy minesweepers to shelter in Hong Kong's harbor during a storm and to take on supplies.