China has rejected the US Navy’s request for two of its ships to dock in Hong Kong as massive anti-government protests continue in the city.

China has “denied requests for port visits to Hong Kong” by the USS Lake Erie guided-missile cruiser and the USS Green Bay amphibious transport dock, Commander Nate Christensen, the deputy spokesperson for the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, said on Tuesday.

Christensen did not specify why Beijing rejected the request, adding only that he expects the port visits “to continue” in the future.

This comes amid large-scale anti-government protests in Hong Kong, which have been raging for ten consecutive weeks and led to clashes with police. The rallies were first sparked by the now suspended controversial extradition bill, and later grew to include demands for wider political reform.

Officials in Beijing promised a swift response to rioting and violence in Hong Kong. They also stressed that China will not allow any foreign power to encourage protesters to break the law.

Some US politicians, like Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have openly voiced their support for the protests. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that their words serve as “powerful evidence of the country’s involvement” in the unrest.

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