U.S. Navy Plane Makes Emergency Landing in China After Collision with Chinese Fighter

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Sunday April 1 9:27 AM ET U.S. Navy Plane Lands in China After Interception

By Paul Eckert

BEIJING (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy (news - web sites) surveillance aircraft made an emergency landing in southern China Sunday after a mid-air brush with a Chinese fighter on an interception mission, the U.S. Navy said.

A provincial government official on the island of Hainan confirmed a U.S. plane had landed on the island, but declined to give further details.

``I am aware of this incident, but cannot make any comment. You must call the Foreign Ministry,'' the official said.

Foreign Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

A statement from the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii said the EP-3 Marine patrol aircraft landed on the island province of Hainan after it was intercepted by two Chinese fighters. There were no reports of injuries among the U.S. crew.

``We expect that the PRC (People's Republic of China) government will respect the integrity of the aircraft and the well-being and safety of the crew in accordance with international practices, expedite any necessary repairs to the aircraft and facilitate the immediate return of the aircraft,'' the statement said.

It said the plane was on a routine surveillance mission over the South China Sea when the incident occurred at around 9:15 a.m. Chinese time (0115 GMT).

``There was contact between one of the Chinese aircraft and the EP-3, causing sufficient damage for the U.S. plane to issue a 'mayday' signal and divert to an airfield on Hainan Island,'' the statement said.

U.S. Voices Concern

``We have communicated our concerns about this incident to the PRC government through the U.S. embassy in Beijing and the (Chinese) Embassy in Washington, D.C.,'' the statement said.

It was not immediately known whether the U.S. plane was in international air space at the time. Japan's Kyodo news agency said it was based in Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.

China claims sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, including islands also claimed wholly or partly by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The United States officially takes no position on the territorial disputes, but insists that freedom of navigation must be maintained in the important sea route.

The collision comes amid a period of uncertainty and strain in China-U.S. relations under the new U.S. administration of President Bush (news - web sites).

There are concerns in Beijing that the new U.S. administration is more pro-Taiwan, inclined to stress ties with Japan over China and adopt a more confrontational approach on human rights.

China is particularly worried about possible U.S. sales of high-tech weaponry to Taiwan, including the Aegis radar system, and the prospect that Washington will press ahead with an anti-missile defense shield. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010401/ts/crash_china_dc_3.html

-- Carl Jenkins (somewherepress@aol.com), April 01, 2001

Answers

Sunday April 1 9:41 AM ET White House Expects China to Return Pilot

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Sunday it expected China to hand over the pilot of a U.S. Navy (news - web sites) surveillance aircraft that made an emergency landing in southern China after a minor collision with a Chinese fighter.

Asked if the United States expected the pilot to be returned, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) told Reuters: ''That is our expectation. That is the standard practice. We would expect them to follow it.''

Asked if Beijing had communicated its intent to return the pilot, the spokesman replied: ``Not that I am aware of.''

Earlier, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii told Reuters by telephone that a U.S. Navy EP-3 Maritime patrol aircraft on a routine surveillance mission over the South China Sea had been intercepted by two Chinese fighter aircraft. He said there was ``contact'' between the aircraft and one of the Chinese fighters causing sufficient damage for the U.S. plane to issue a ``mayday'' signal and land on Hainan Island in China.

Fleischer said President Bush (news - web sites), who was at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, had been informed of the incident by U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) shortly after it took place. Fleischer said he had no information about the condition of the pilot. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010401/ts/china_comment_dc_1.html

-- Carl Jenkins (somewherepress@aol.com), April 01, 2001.


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