China denies called U.S. carrier saga misunderstanding

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - The saga of a U.S. aircraft carrier denied entry to Hong Kong at Thanksgiving took a bizarre turn on Thursday when China denied saying the whole affair had been a misunderstanding.

The White House said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had told President George W. Bush the incident was a misunderstanding on Wednesday.

Washington has said China denied the USS Kitty Hawk, and eight accompanying ships, entry to Hong Kong for a long-planned visit during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday last week. China later changed its mind but the ships were already heading for Japan, U.S. officials say.

"Reports that Foreign Minister Yang said in the United States that it was a misunderstanding do not accord with the facts," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a news conference.

"China approved the visit of the Kitty Hawk group to Hong Kong based on humanitarian reasons. The decision made by the U.S. later was up to them." He did not elaborate.

There has been speculation China's move to block the ships was related to irritation over U.S. plans to help Taiwan upgrade its missile system and a meeting between Bush and exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

The White House said it was now seeking clarification from China due to conflicting accounts of the meeting with Bush.

"The president's understanding from the foreign minister yesterday was that there had been a misunderstanding and a miscommunication," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.