“But, the U.S. went ahead and sold Taiwan Patriot II missile systems and related equipment,” the captain was quoted as saying. “This obviously sends Chen Shui-bian a wrong signal. That is why a lot of activity between China and America was stopped.” The captain told The Global Times that Washington had behaved irrationally by trying to go ahead with the Hong Kong visit after it had announced the Patriot sale. “Under normal circumstances, the U.S. Navy should have changed its port visiting plans,” the captain said.

“After the U.S. seriously harms China’s interests, it still asks for an embrace from China,” the officer said. “There is no reason in the world for us to do so.”

Hong Kong has been a favorite rest and recreation stop for the American Navy but, since the city reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, Beijing has suspended port calls when it wanted to send messages of protest to Washington over American actions.

Port visits were suspended in 1999 when the United States bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and again after the 2001 mid-air collision.

The new dispute has come to the fore even as the Pentagon has been striving to improve ties with the Chinese military, a relationship that reached a low in 2001 after the collision off the Chinese coast of an American Navy surveillance aircraft and a Chinese attack jet.

On visits to China in recent months, senior American officials, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, and top military officers have called on China to reveal more about the reasons for its rapid increase in defense spending and about its long-term strategic goals.

They have also encouraged more exchanges of senior officers to improve communications and to build trust and understanding.