HONG KONG(AP) – Five American warships docked for a port call in Hong Kong on Wednesday in a sign that recent tensions between China and the U.S. may be easing after flare-ups over an arms sale to Taiwan and the Dalai Lama.

Carrying some 5,000 sailors, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and four other ships arrived in Hong Kong waters for a four-day rest stop after spending five months in the North Arabian Sea as a base for air combat missions in Afghanistan, the USS Nimitz public affairs office said in a statement.
Political analysts see Beijing's approval of the port call as an indication that the Chinese government doesn't want to let Sino-U.S. relations deteriorate further, hampering cooperation on the global economy and other issues.
With its abundance of foreigner-friendly restaurants, bars and shops, this former British colony has long been a favored stop for U.S. warships, and Beijing has continued the tradition after Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule.
China blocked a long-scheduled port call by the USS Kitty Hawk in November 2007 at the last minute, denying thousands of sailors a Thanksgiving reunion with families and friends who had flown to the city. Some analysts viewed the move as retaliation after the U.S. Congress awarded its highest civilian honor to the Dalai Lama.