| |
 |
No sign seen to end standoff
|
CHINA repeated yesterday that nothing short of an apology from the United States over the plane collision incident was acceptable.
“The United States should apologize," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sun Yuxi told a regular briefing in Beijing.
“We hope the US will adopt a pragmatic and co-operative attitude and respond to the demands of the Chinese people. In this way the problem can be resolved at an early date," he said.
On Monday President Jiang Zemin said in Buenos Airs that China “will never give in to any outside pressure on principle issues related to China's state sovereignty and territorial integrity," a statement that is believed to reinforce China's stance on the spy plane incident.
Spokesman Sun said US expressions of “regret" over the loss of the Chinese pilot were insufficient, although he welcomed US Secretary of State Colin Powell's use of the word “sorry" as a positive step.
“The feeling expressed by the US side by using this word (sorry) is a step in the right direction, but we don't think this issue is fully solved," he said.
Consultations between US Ambassador to China Joseph Prueher and Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan were continuing in Beijing, he said, along with talks in Washington.
Hong Kong press reports that a second Chinese fighter jet had asked to open fire on the US spy plane after the collision, and that the fighter forced the US plane to land in Chinese territory, were “groundless speculation", the spokesman said.
Rescuers were yesterday continuing their efforts to search for Wang Wei, the missing pilot, although officials admitted that hopes for finding him alive were slim.
Yesterday evening's CCTV primetime news showed the tearful Ruan Guoqing, wife of the missing pilot who was hospitalized after she collapsed upon being told of her husband's disappearance 11 days ago, saying she would seek justice for her husband.(SD-Xinhua)
|
|
|
|
