In the middle of heightened tensions in the South China Sea, the American Consulate claimed that their aircraft carrier was denied entry in Hong Kong on Thursday. The reason for the refusal was not clear.

Pentagon Spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban said that U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter's request to visit Hong Kong on Thursday was denied.

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"We were recently informed that a request for a port visit by a U.S. carrier strike group, including the USS John C. Stennis and accompanying vessels, to Hong Kong was denied," he told CNN. "We have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong, including with the current visit of the (command ship) USS Blue Ridge, and we expect that will continue."

It is still unclear why they were denied entry. The spokesman for the Hong Kong Security Bureau also declined to comment citing that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will not disclose individual visit application of foreign warships.

South China Morning Post managed to get a response from China about the issue. In a written reply, they stated that warships and military aircraft are examined on a case to case basis, making sure it complies with sovereignty principles under specific circumstances.

The port access denial comes two weeks after Carter visited the Stennis while the aircraft was operating in the South China Sea. The South China Sea remains the center of escalating tensions between China and the United States. Beijing is reported building man-made islands in the disputed territory.

There were speculations that Beijing may not be so happy over the news that Carter flew with Philippine Secretary of Defense Voltaire Gazmin for a two-hour trip around the South China Sea on April 15.  Carter said that they want to help everybody in the region to develop and rise in their own way, and that includes the Philippines, which happened to be a strong ally of the U.S. for years.

TagsThe Stennis Denied Entry in Hong Kong, Rising Tensions Between US and China, American Carrier Denied Entry in Hong Kong, South China Sea Dispute, China-US Relation, Philippines-US Relations, China-Philippine South China Sea Dispute