The commander of the USS Blue Ridge David Lausman said he was delighted to be back in the southern Chinese city.

'I do not think there was any ice to be broken. The US Navy has a rich history of visiting Hong Kong,' he said on local broadcaster RTHK.

The arrival comes two months after the USS Kitty Hawk carrier group was denied entry over the Thanksgiving holiday. Thousands of sailors were expected to flood into Hong Kong during the visit, and many had arranged to meet family members.

'The denial or the inability of the Kitty Hawk to come in in November was unfortunate, that is being handled at a much higher level,' added Mr Lausman.

'We are very happy to be back, we don't really view it as the first (visit) as we have been back so many times.'

The Blue Ridge, the flag ship of the US Seventh Fleet based in Japan, would be staying in port for several days, a US Consulate spokesman said.

The spokesman would not specify when permission was granted to enter the post, but said it had been given prior to its entry into Hong Kong.

Earlier in November, two US minesweepers had also been denied entry to Hong Kong, despite being stuck in stormy weather in the South China Sea. The two refusals caused a diplomatic spat between the nations.

On a visit to Beijing and Hong Kong earlier this month to calm tensions the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Timothy Keating, said the Chinese refusal 'was an example of behaviour that was inappropriate by a major nation'.

He said at the time he expected future port visit requests to be granted.

Tensions between the countries have increased in recent months, with Washington officials saying they are worried by the rapid build-up of China's military, while Beijing continues to express concern over US weapons sales to Taiwan. -- AFP