Bush Calls on China to Return Spy Plane and Crew
April 2, 2001 -- Voicing concern over China's refusal to grant access to the 24 crew members on a downed U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft, President Bush today said he was troubled by the Chinese government's inaction.
Bush also called on the Chinese government to return the super surveillance EP-3 Aries plane "without further damaging or tampering."
The U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane made an emergency landing at a military air base on the Chinese island of Hainan after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet late Saturday (local time). The Chinese fighter and its pilot are still reported missing
Bush said he was troubled by the lack of timely response by the Chinese government.
"The first step should be immediate access by our embassy personnel to our crew members," Bush said. "I am troubled bythe lack of a timely Chinese response to our request for this access."
The statement came as three U.S. diplomats arrived on Hainan Island to negotiate an end to the current standoff.
It is now believed members of the Chinese military boarded the plane and removed the crew after it landed.
Tensions between the two countries have a hit a low reminiscent of the Cold War today as three U.S. Navy destroyers were ordered to stay near Hainan Island.
ABCNEWS has learned the destroyers USS Higgins, USS Hewitt and USS Fitzgerald were about 130 miles east of Hainan in international waters. The destroyers had made a port call in nearby Hong Kong and were en route to the U.S. West Coast on Saturday when they were turned around and ordered to stay in the region. Officials say the destroyers will remain in the area indefinitely.
Washington is concerned about the fate of the highly classified EP-3, which one Pentagon source dubbed "the most sensitive aircraft in the U.S. inventory." It was not known if the Chinese have had access to highly sensitive information on board the aircraft.
While the United States considers the EP-3 sovereign U.S. "territory," similar to an embassy, U.S. officials have admited they could not prevent Chinese officials from boarding the plane.
Crew Incommunicado
The two countries have been locked in a diplomatic war of words since the EP-3 made an emergency landing at a military airport in Lingshui on Hainan Island in southern China early Sunday (local time).
"It is inexplicable and unacceptable and of grave concern to the most senior leaders in the United States government that the air crew has been held incommunicado for over 32 hours," Ambassador Joseph Prueher said at a news conference today. "The Chinese so far have given us no explanation for holding this crew."
He said the Chinese government assured him the crew was safe.
After landing in Hainan, the aircraft's pilot radioed that all 24 crewmen were safe, but were being ordered by Chinese officials to shut down the aircraft. That was the last time the plane's crew was heard from.
They are believed to be in a military guesthouse.
The cause of the incident has not yet been determined, although Adm. Dennis Blair, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command said it was very likely to be an accident. "If I had to guess right now, I would say it's an accident," Blair said on GMA. "It's not normal practice to play bumper cars in the air. It's too dangerous for everybody."
The turboprop aircraft — which was flying out of Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan — was on a mission to gather radar frequencies and radio traffic from China's air defense, naval and missile installations.
The Blame Game
China says the plane was about to violate its airspace, and sent several fighter jets to intercept it. The Chinese Foreign Ministry says the incident was the fault of the United States, because the plane veered unexpectedly, causing the collision.
"A Chinese aircraft was conducting normal flight operations 10km [6 miles] south of Hainan Island when a U.S. plane suddenly veered towards it." Chinese state television quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying.
However Blair put the onus of the responsibility for the collision on the Chinese military. "I can tell you the rules of international air space are that the smaller, faster aircraft has the responsibility for staying clear of the larger, slower aircraft," he said. "And I know from practice that our aircraft like the EP-3 fly straight and level with great care."
The Chinese F-8 fighter jet is smaller than the propeller-driven EP-3.
According to reports on China TV, the pilot plunged into the South China Sea.
The United States has offered to help China search for the missing crewmember. Chinese authorities have said they are reserving the right to demand compensation.
Mounting Tensions
The incident has escalated already heightened tensions between the two countries. China has been concerned about Washington's new arms sales to Taiwan, which China considers its own territory. Washington has also protested the arrest of two scholars linked to the United States by Chinese authorities.
Speaking on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America today, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called for diplomatic finesse in handling the latest situation. "I think it's a very delicate time," said Albright. "But it also shows the importance of dealing with them and talking with them and not seeing them as a potential enemy."
Experts said Chinese hard-liners jockeying for political power could use the incident to provoke public outrage.
"The Chinese are in a very good position," observed former U.S. Ambassador to China James Lilley. "They have the crew. They have the plane. They can make their position and keep these people until they get some sign of contrition from us."
ABCNEWS' Barbara Starr, Josh Gerstein and John McWethy in Washington and Chito Romana in Beijing contributed to this report.