Right before Thanksgiving the Chinese Government wouldn’t allow the USS Kitty Hawk to dock on the shores of Hong Kong. It’s only been a nearly 50 year tradition for the ship and its crew to meet up with family members in Hong Kong for some R&R. Now Red China says that the reason the American ship was turned away cause it gave them “grave concern” when the ship changed course to avoid an oncoming storm.

From the AP:

BEIJING (AP) - China said Tuesday it expressed “grave concern” over the USS Kitty Hawk’s passage through the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait on its return to Japan.

The U.S. aircraft carrier had been barred by China from entering Hong Kong for a Thanksgiving port call.

Mainland Chinese authorities reversed their decision, but by then the ships were too far out to sea and did not turn back.

“U.S. officials informed China at that time that it took the route because of a storm,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a briefing. “China expressed grave concern to the U.S. and requested the U.S. to take prudent moves in this highly sensitive area.”