Beijing has again denied permission for a US navy maritime surveillance aircraft to land in Hong Kong but allowed two military ships to dock in the harbour.
Defence analysts said the continuing refusal to allow the P3 aircraft to enter SAR airspace appeared to indicate the PLA believed it would be used to gather intelligence.
Approved were the navy's fast combat support ship Sacramento and the Coast Guard cutter Midgett which are scheduled to arrive on November 25 and stay for four days.
Three other requests for the P3 aircraft, used for surveillance and submarine hunting, to land have also been refused since Nato bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in May.
The port visit of a US navy destroyer last week marked the arrival of the first ship with offensive capabilities since Beijing began its ban on US military visits to Hong Kong.
A US Consulate spokesman said the aircraft would have been on an exercise to practise 'over-water navigation'.
