BBC Sunday, 29 April, 2001, 15:05 GMT 16:05 UK

China to allow spy plane inspection

The US plane has been held on Hainan Island China has decided to allow the United States access to its spy plane, detained in southern China since it collided with a Chinese fighter on 1 April.

US Vice-President Dick Cheney said the decision was an "encouraging sign" and said Washington would soon take up the offer.

The $80m plane, which is filled with top-secret surveillance equipment, was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan Island after the collision.

Its 24 crew members were held for 11 days before being released.

"Having completed its investigation and evidence collection involving the US plane, and in view of international precedents in handling such issues, the Chinese side has decided to allow the US side to inspect its plane at the Lingshui Airport," the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Further negotiations

The report made no mention of any intention to return the plane, but said that, during recent talks in Beijing, Washington had agreed to consider making payments to China.

"The two sides will conduct another round of negotiations on the specific amount of the US payment and the items to be covered," Xinhua said.

However, Mr Cheney denied that the US had agreed to pay for anything except the cost of transporting the plane back to the United States.

Washington demanded the return of the plane immediately after the collision, but China insisted it had the right to investigate the incident further.

Secrets lost

US officials subsequently said that crew members had destroyed much of the plane's surveillance equipment and erased sensitive data soon after landing.

But last Thursday, the Pentagon acknowledged that some secrets were lost from the spy plane.

And Mr Cheney said that US officials did not know exactly what the Chinese were able to obtain.

Beijing insists its fighter was rammed by the American EP-3 surveillance aircraft.

The Chinese pilot of the F-8 fighter was killed after he bailed out into the South China Sea. His body was never found.

China's decision to allow access to the plane comes soon after it held a formal commemoration for the pilot, who has been given the status of national martyr.

Taiwan deal

Since the spy plane incident, Chinese-US relations have taken a further turn for the worse with the announcement from Washington of a new weapons package for Taiwan.

It is one of the largest arms deals made to the island in a decade, and includes several destroyers and diesel submarines.

Last Wednesday, Beijing launched a formal diplomatic protest against the deal, describing it as a "rude interference in China's internal affairs".

And on the same day US President George W Bush told a US television network that the use of military force was "certainly an option" if China ever invaded its island neighbour.

Correspondents say the remarks prompted deep concern in China that US foreign policy was moving in a new and dangerous direction.

China considers Taiwan a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001

Answers

thanks for posting this. Ihave been trying to get to it at another site to copy and post it,and it kept crashing my system. it has not been a fun morning so far.

We are in for some localized flooding, they say. So far we haven't gotten a drop of rain here at home.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2001