Washington, Apr 30 (EFE).– China has denied a U.S. aircraft carrier and other ships entry to a Hong Kong port, a Pentagon spokesman told CNN.

“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,” Cmdr. Bill Urban said Friday.

“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,” he said, adding that for the moment the United States does not know why access to the port was denied.

Beijing’s refusal comes two weeks after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter stressed during a trip to the Philippines the importance of peacefully preserving the prosperity of the South China Sea region and visited the USS John C. Stennis, which was then situated in an area of that waterway that is claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The United States has criticized Beijing’s building of man-made islands in those contested and strategically important waters. China, for its part, accuses Washington of militarizing the region.

During that visit, Carter confirmed that the United States and the Philippines were carrying out joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea and announced an increase in the U.S. military presence in the Asian nation.

“We hope the United States will match its words with actions and contribute to the peaceful resolution of the disputes,” Lu Kang, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference in Beijing on April 15, the day Carter visited the aircraft carrier.