HONG KONG - THE United States is planning to send the USS Kitty Hawk to Hong Kong in April, five months after Beijing blocked a visit by the flagship aircraft carrier, the South China Morning Post here reported.

Quoting unidentified sources, it said the US consulate in Hong Kong would pass on a request to Hong Kong authorities for permission for the Kitty Hawk and its battle group to visit.

If the trip goes ahead, it would be the first since China barred the Kitty Hawk and its accompanying ships from Hong Kong last year, leaving thousands of servicemen unable to celebrate the annual Thanksgiving holiday with relatives who had flown over here.

The decision marked a low in diplomatic relations between the two nations, coming shortly after Washington gave an award to the Dalai Lama and upgraded weapons sales to Taiwan.

Beijing later agreed to let the carrier into Hong Kong, a port city with a thriving nightlife that has attracted sailors for decades, but Washington said it was too late as many of the relatives had left.

The South China Morning Post on Friday cited a source as saying the planned visit was 'something of a test'.

'Washington is confident there will be no problems, but defence officials will still be watching closely to see how the request is handled,' one source was quoted as saying.

Earlier this week Washington said it was worried by the rapid build-up of China's military, while Beijing continues to express concern over US weapons sales to Taiwan. -- AFP