HONG KONG -- An American aircraft carrier and four other ships in its battle group came to Hong Kong on Monday, bringing in about 6,000 sailors for a port call that ended Beijing's latest ban on such visits.

The USS Kitty Hawk was set to spend several days here on a routine stop, along with a cruiser, a destroyer, a frigate and an oiler from its battle group, said Barbara Zigli, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate. Thanks to security concerns that have been heightened since the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, U.S. officials have provided fewer details about the movements of warships than they used to.

Zigli said she could not say how long the ships will be in Hong Kong or where they will head next.

But the arrival of the Kitty Hawk and the other ships marked the first visit by U.S. naval vessels since Beijing refused to let the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur stop here about a month ago. That denial was viewed as retaliation over the U.S. decision to let Taiwan's defense minister, Tang Yiau-ming, attend a private military convention earlier this year in Florida.

Hong Kong has long been a favored port of call for the U.S. military but ever since the former British colony was handed back to China in July 1997 it has been up to Beijing to approve or deny permission for such visits.

Although reasons are never given, decisions on port calls appear to have been based on current ups and downs in the often-delicate ties between Beijing and Washington.