China blames U.S. for aircraft crash

BEIJING, APRIL 1. China said one of its fighters crashed today after being rammed in mid-air by a U.S. aircraft, which landed on the southern island of Hainan without permission. A Foreign Ministry statement said China had made ``a solemn representation and protest'' over the incident and reserved the right to seek damages.

According to the U.S. Navy version of the incident, one of its EP-3 marine patrol aircraft was on a ``routine surveillance'' mission over the South China Sea when it brushed one of two Chinese fighters on an interception mission. The four-engine propeller plane carrying 24 crew made an emergency landing on Hainan, the U.S. statement said.

But China laid the blame squarely on the U.S. plane. ``A Chinese aircraft was conducting normal flight operations 10 km south of Hainan island when a U.S. plane suddenly veered towards it,'' the Chinese state television quoted the Foreign Ministry statement as saying. ``The nose and left wing of the U.S. plane hit the Chinese plane and caused it to crash. China is now searching for the crew.''

The Chinese statement also threatened further ``representations'' over the U.S. plane entering Chinese airspace and landing without permission. China was making ``proper arrangements'' for the 24 crew, the statement added, without giving any details.

Return the crew: U.S.

The U.S. Government said it expected China to return the crew. ``That is our expectation. That is the standard practice. We would expect them to follow it,'' White House spokesperson, Mr. Ari Fleischer said.

A U.S. statement called on China to ``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.''

It added that the U.S. had communicated its concerns to the Chinese Government. It was not immediately known whether the U.S. plane was in international airspace at the time. Japan's Kyodo news agency said it was based in the Kadena airbase, Okinawa. A U.S. Navy spokesperson said the plane was believed to be carrying one member of the Air Force, one Marine, and 22 Navy personnel.

- Reuters

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