China official echoes demand for apology
Saturday, April 07, 2001 10:48 AM EDT
WASHINGTON, Apr 07, 2001 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Chinese and
American officials met again in Beijing and Washington, making what President
George W. Bush described as "progress" toward a return of 24 Americans aboard
the grounded Navy spy plane while the official China news media Saturday
published another demand for a U.S. apology.
On Hainan Island, where the American flyers wait in Chinese military officers'
quarters, U.S. officials waited for word from their Chinese counterparts for a
signal they could visit them again.
On Saturday, U.S. officials met with Chinese officials throughout the day in
Beijing. Friday evening, China's Ambassador in Washington Yang Jiechi met with
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage for the fifth time. State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher said he expected more meetings over the weekend,
perhaps in both Washington and Beijing.
The state sponsored Xinhua news agency Saturday published a letter from Chinese
Vice-Premier Qian Qichen to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that said the
"U.S. side should take up its responsibilities for the incident" and apologize.
He continued, "Regrettably, the U.S. statement on this incident so far is
unacceptable to the Chinese side, and the Chinese people have found it most
dissatisfying." The letter was given to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Armitage
to convey to Powell.
"It is essential for the U.S. side to face up to the facts squarely, adopt a
positive and practical approach and apologize to the Chinese people, Qian wrote.
"Then, the two sides may move on to discuss matters concerning the U.S. military
plane and other remaining problems," he added.
The official New China News Agency also published a story Saturday following the
meeting between U.S. diplomats and the 24-member crew that appeared to use a
softer tone than articles in previous days.
While the article quoted the U.S. Embassy's Beijing military attache, Neal
Sealock, as saying the crew was in good spirits and health, the piece pointed
out that he had "expressed gratitude for the Chinese side."
President Bush said Friday intensive discussions with the Chinese government
over the return of the 24 crew members being held in China were "making
progress."
Speaking to business leaders in suburban Virginia, Bush said he wanted to update
them on what he termed "the situation in China." The crew has been in Chinese
hands at an air base in Haikou, on Hainan Island in the South China Sea, since
their EP-3 surveillance plane was involved in a mid-air collision with a Chinese
jet Sunday.
Ruan Guoqin, wife of the missing Chinese pilot Wang Wei, wrote a letter to Bush
Friday, published Saturday in the People's Daily newspaper in China.
"I cannot figure out why you sent them to spy along China's coast from such a
great distance, and why they rammed my husband's plane," she wrote of the
Americans aboard the spy plane. "You and the American people know that your 24
crew members are being properly looked after and that they are in good health.
Their family members and American people do not have to worry about them at
all."
In the latest Xinhua article, a leading official of the Hainan Provincial
Foreign Affairs office was quoted restating China's position and demands saying
the United States "should be held responsible for the collision incident and
make an apology to the Chinese side."
The official said, "China gave permission for the meeting of the U.S. envoy with
the Navy flyers "out of consideration of humanitarianism and relevant bilateral
agreements. The U.S. side has for several times expressed their thanks to the
Chinese side for the arrangement."
Bush said Army Brig. Gen. Sealock had visited with the Americans for one hour
Friday and reported "that they are doing just fine."
"They are housed in officers' quarters, and they are being treated well," Bush
said. "We're proud of these young men and women, who are upholding the high
standards of our armed forces. We know this is a difficult time for their
families and I thank them for their patriotism and their patience."
The administration was "working hard to bring them home through intensive
discussions with the Chinese government, and we think we're making progress,"
Bush said.
On Capitol Hill, Virginia Sen. John Warner, chairman of the powerful Armed
Services Committee, indicated Friday a mechanism for a resolution of the
confrontation could be in the works. Officials of the two governments, he said,
were drafting a memorandum of understanding for approval by Bush and President
Jiang Zemin.
No further details were disclosed and independent confirmation was not
immediately available.
Sealock, who first visited the 24 Americans Tuesday in more tense and rigid
circumstances and controls, had briefed Bush by phone Friday morning,
immediately after his meeting -- the second since Sunday. He told the president,
"I think you'd feel proud, they look good."
Earlier, Secretary of State Powell had also said he was "encouraged at this
point" about negotiations over the return the 24 crew members -- including three
women -- and the damaged spy plane. He would not elaborate on the talks, but
said officials from both sides "are exchanging ideas and papers."
Powell said most of the crew are staying two to a room, with the commander
housed by himself and the three women crew members sharing one room. The Chinese
have brought the crew catered meals. Powell said there has been "no indication
of physical or verbal mistreatment."
U.S. diplomats plan on seeing the crew a third time Saturday, but there is still
no agreement on their release.
The EP-3, which carries ultra-sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment, was
flying off the Chinese coast, eavesdropping on China's communications when it
collided with a Chinese F-8 fighter sent to intercept it. Heavily damaged, the
U.S. Navy spy plane landed at a Chinese military base on Hainan. It is not known
how much sensitive information and equipment the EP-3s crew was able to destroy
before Chinese troops boarded the aircraft after its touch down.
China blames the United States for the collision and demands an apology;
Washington says it was the F-8 that hit the U.S. aircraft, which was flying over
international waters.
Beijing's position was repeated Friday by its Foreign Ministry and by the
official Xinhua news agency.
"China's position is clear," a ministry spokeswoman said. "The United States
must admit full responsibility and apologize to the Chinese people, and it must
take sincere and effective measures to prevent a similar incident from happening
again."
Xinhua, in its commentary, said: "It is clear that the U.S. plane broke flight
rules and made dangerous movements, causing the crash of the Chinese jet and the
missing of the Chinese pilot, and violated international and Chinese laws.
"The acts of the U.S. plane violated the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea
and are against the consensus reached between China and the United States in May
last year on avoiding military risks in sea areas."
Throughout the dispute, China has indicated the fate of the U.S. crew and the
progress -- if any -- of negotiations hinge on a U.S. apology, which Washington
refuses to deliver.
President Bush, however, opened the door for progress and more access to the
crew by publicly expressing Thursday "regret."
"I regret that a Chinese pilot is missing. ... Our prayers go out to the pilot,
his family. ... Our prayers are also with our own servicemen and women, and they
need to come home," Bush said.
During a visit to Chile late Thursday, Chinese President Jiang said Beijing and
Washington must take care in handling the dispute. He said the crew members were
safe and that the damaged U.S. plane was still on Hainan Island. But he insisted
both sides must work together to seek a resolution to the impasse.
"I have visited many countries and I see that when people have an accident, the
two groups involved ... always say 'excuse me,'" he said.
Jiang began his tour of Latin American capitals Thursday.
The diplomatic standoff comes amid increasing tensions between Washington and
Beijing. Relations chilled markedly last month, when Bush refused to give
visiting Chinese Vice Premier Qian assurances that the United States would not
sell high-tech warships to Taiwan in the annual April arms deal between
Washington and Taipei. The warships are equipped with the Navy's most advanced
anti-missile radar system, called Aegis, and could be used to shoot down Chinese
ballistic missiles.
China considers Taiwan a renegade province. Taiwan's eventual reunification with
the mainland is a central tenet of Chinese nationalism and policy.
(Eli J. Lake at the State Department, Pamela Hess at the Pentagon and Mark Kukis
at the White House contributed to this report.)
Copyright 2001 by United Press International.
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