China Daily Commentary: Crisis benefits none (04/4/2001)
Apparently neither Beijing nor Washington wants to see a full-blown crisis over the Sunday
collision between Chinese and American military planes over the South China Sea.
However, the US side's handling of the issue to date is anything but productive.
While repeatedly calling for the "prompt and safe'' return of the US crew members, who are
well treated in a comfortable guest house, and the spy plane, US officials have shown no
concern for the missing Chinese pilot, who was flying the fighter jet struck by the US plane.
Have any of them shown any regret or offered an apology for the collision, which was caused
by the US plane abruptly changing direction?
Has the United States offered an apology for the violation of Chinese sovereignty by the US
plane?
Sadly, there has been no apology and no mention of the victim whatsoever -- even in the US
president's address.
Instead, the US side has sounded as if no damage has been caused and that the US crew
and their spy plane were abducted to the Chinese territory.
The US Congress on Tuesday offered a fresh perspective on the morbid mentality of some
American politicians.
They brazenly cited the collision in a resolution to support their allegations against China's
human rights record.
This is more than a lack of diplomatic civility. Their logic is absurd just like a thief crying "stop
thief.''
Even if the collision occurred above China's exclusive economic zone through which the US
claims it has "the right of innocent passage," its landing at a military airport on China's Hainan
Island without proper notice still constituted an undisputable infringement of Chinese
sovereignty.
It does not take an international law expert to understand the difficulty in justifying the claim of
innocent passage for a spy plane on a surveillance mission on the threshold of a remote
foreign country.
Even more ridiculous is the US claim of diplomatic immunity for the intruding military plane.
International laws and conventions can not be bent at their will to abuse the rights of other
nations.
The Americans are clearly trying to lay the blame on the Chinese side. Intruders have thus
become victims according to their rhetoric.
It might be impossible to convince arrogant American politicians to listen to any other point of
view. But if they are truly committed to a graceful resolution of the incident, the US side must
not misinterpret the facts.
What if a Chinese spy plane caused a US jet carrying out normal duties over their own
exclusive economic zone to crash, and the pilot missing, and then landed, without notice, in
an American military airport in Florida?
How would the Americans respond if the Chinese Government responded like the US
Government has?
The United States' interception and forced inspection of the Chinese cargo ship "Yin He" on
the high seas in 1993 on the baseless allegation that it was transporting nuclear material to
Iran is evidence of US arrogance in international territory.
The United States takes much pride in its ability of policing the world. But a morally corrupt
police officer has the potential to become a threat.
The bad manners of American politicians is a result of their extreme self-centeredness.
Undisguised disregard of foreign people and foreign sovereignty is the logical result of this
attitude.
China and the United States have learnt from the expensive lessons of the past to co-exist in
peace today.
But peace does not seem to be cherished by some US politicians.
The recent abandonment of the Clinton administration's agreement with the Chinese
Government to work for a constructive strategic partnership is a case in point.
The Chinese people and government's endeavor to build mutually beneficial ties has been
met with such provocative gestures as spy plane reconnaissance.
It is the right of any sovereign state to protect its legal interests such as their air and water
territory.
To prevent a recurrence of the incident, the United States should stop reconnaissance flights
in the airspace off China's coastal areas.
The mishandling of the current incident may easily throw the fragile relationship, which is on a
bumpy course toward recovery since the US bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia,
back into turmoil.
No one would benefit from that scenario.
The Chinese side's legitimate request for an apology, compensation, and explanation is a test
of the US Government's genuine attitude towards the bilateral relationship.
(This commentary appears on China Daily on April 5, 2001)
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