| |
 |
Spy plane standoff continues
|
DEFENCE Minister Chi Haotian restated yesterday that the United States should apologize to the Chinese people over the April 1 collision between a US spy plane and a Chinese jet and take effective measures to avoid another similar matter from happening.
He made the remarks when meeting with visiting Brazilian Defence Minister Graldo Magela Da Cruz Quintao, adding that the direct cause of the collision was that the US plane violated flight rules, and veered suddenly at the Chinese fighter from a wide angle.
Chi's remarks seemed to dash US hopes for a quick solution that would allow the 24 US crew stranded on Hainan Island to go home immediately.
Search goes on
Chi said human life is the most important thing in the world, and the Chinese government is very concerned about the missing pilot, and will continue to search for and rescue him.
Military and civilian rescuers yesterday continued to search for the missing pilot parachuted from his fighter jet following a collision with a US spy plane one week before even though hopes for finding him were fading away.
'Sorry' is the key
In a letter passed on to US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday, Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen said Washington's statement on the mid-air plane collision near China's Hainan Island so far was “unacceptable", urging again the US side to apologize.
“The position of the Chinese Government on this incident is very clear. The US side should take up its responsibilities for the incident," said Qian.
Powell said earlier in his letter to Qian that “We very much regret the pain this accident has caused. President Bush is very concerned about your missing pilot. His thoughts and prayers are with the pilot's family members and loved ones, as are mine and all Americans."
US officials declined comment on Qian's letter. Washington has expressed “regret" over the loss of the Chinese pilot but has insisted it will not apologize, saying its aircraft was in international airspace and that the United States did nothing wrong.
Bush a 'coward'
Chi Haotian met Ruan Guoqin, wife of the missing pilot Wang Wei, on Saturday, conveying solicitudes from President Jiang Zemin and other Chinese leaders.
Officials sent Ruan to Beijing for medical treatment after an emotional collapse that she has suffered since her husband disappeared.
Earlier Ruan sent a letter condemning the incident to Bush, calling him a “coward" for refusing to apologize.
3rd crew access
Approved by the Chinese authorities, US diplomats met, for a third time, early yesterday morning with 24 US crew members in Haikou, capital city of Hainan Province.
The crew are in good health, Neal Sealock, defence attache with the US Embassy in Beijing, told reporters after the meeting.
The crew said they understand the current situation and look forward to returning home as soon as possible, Sealock added.
They also expressed gratitude for being permitted by the Chinese side to receive e-mails, according to Sealock.(SD-Xinhua)
US pilot played trick: Taiwan pilots
THE US EP-3 spy plane at the centre of a standoff between China and the US have frequently entered the airspace of China's Taiwan Island for military spying, it was reported yesterday.
The Chinese-language United Daily News said the April 1 collision has rekindled the memories of mid-air interceptions of US spy planes by Taiwan pilots.
The paper said that initially Taiwan's air force despatched single-seated fighters to drive away the EP-3s but later had to send twin-seat fighters after they found single-seat fighters were sometimes tricked while busily picturing on intruders.
One retired military pilot said some EP-3s would play a game of cat-and-mouse with tracing fighters.
They would sometimes unexpectedly slow down or shut off two of their four turboprop engines, he said. Jet-fighters can stall if they slow their speed dramatically.
The pilot said another EP-3 trick was to make a sharp turn.
“Maybe the American pilots thought interceptors would immediately fly away when EP-3 made a sharp turn, so they time and again played the tricks," one Taiwan pilot was quoted as saying.
He said the ill-fated Chinese pilot whose jet crashed during the collision on April 1 might have failed to notice a sharp turn by the EP-3, bumped by the US aircraft and crashed into the sea.(SD-Agencies)
|
|
|
|
