That decision, which had been in the works before the April 1 collision, is expected to come late this month and could well have a more profound effect on U.S.-China relations than the plane incident. China is determined to reunite Taiwan with the mainland, and it sees U.S. arms sales as an affront to Chinese sovereignty. In a similar vein, China objects to U.S. reconnaissance flights along its coastline because they provide intelligence on military activities across the narrow waterway from Taiwan. With the respect to the right of the United States to continue to operate our aircraft in international airspace, that really is a given. The administration also wants the electronic surveillance plane returned, even if the Chinese have stripped it of the sensitive equipment used to eavesdrop on the Chinese military.
China appears in no hurry to give it back.
China's deputy U.N. ambassador Shen Guofang said Wednesday there would be ''further investigation'' of the aircraft to consider ''legal aspects'' of the matter. China asserts that the U.S. plane turned into its fighter and violated international law by landing on Hainan without first gaining China's permission. U.S. officials say the plane was landed on the island only as an emergency measure. We acknowledge your government's intention to raise U.S. reconnaissance missions near China in the meeting,'' Prueher wrote. Although the Bush administration expressed regret for the loss of the Chinese pilot and said it was ''very sorry'' the U.S. plane entered China's airspace without permission, it said it would not offer the full apology China had demanded.