BBC Thursday, 24 May, 2001, 09:04 GMT 10:04 UK

US spy plane deal struck

The US has accepted the need to dismantle the plane China has agreed to an American request to dismantle the spy plane held in Hainan Island and ship it back to the United States.

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Beijing says this is the first indication that the dispute over the spy plane is finally drawing to a close.

The EP-3 surveillance plane has been detained since a mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter jet on 1 April which resulted in the death of a Chinese pilot.

The US and China have been holding negotiations over the return of the aircraft after the incident sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries.

The Americans had previously said it wanted to send a team of engineers to the island to repair the aircraft so that it could be flown out, but China ruled this out.

And last Sunday, US Vice-President Dick Cheney said the aircraft might have to return home in crates because it was badly damaged.

No timetable

The collision damaged two of the EP-3's engines and one of its four propellers. It also caused the plane's nose cone to break off, and pieces of metal punctured parts of the fuselage.

It is not clear how soon the aircraft will be taken out or whether it will be transported by land or sea.

The original incident led to an 11-day stand-off, with Beijing refusing to release the American air crew unless the US apologised and took full responsibility for the collision.

In the end the crew was released but the incident contributed to a dramatic souring in Chinese-US relations.

China has also reacted angrily to US plans for a missile defence shield.

And recent visits to the US by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian have prompted Beijing to accuse Washington of interfering in its af

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

Answers

This morning the radio was dismissing the report that China had agreed.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

they won't pay back the loan for the nuclear plant either, I bet.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001