Backfiring Ban. Reacting to the accidental U.S. bombing of their embassy in Belgrade earlier this year, the Chinese barred U.S. ships and aircraft from making routine stops in China. As a result, the flow of U.S. dollars to red light districts in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other cities has dried up. In 1998 70 American naval vessels and 67 aircraft paid visits to China, carrying 45,000 personnel, who dropped $50 million on the local economy. A A Nofi