Many U.S. experts agree that the incident was most likely caused by an accident on the part of the Chinese. Sensitivity to the situation will ultimately result from the Chinese handling of the American EP-3 and its crew of 24. It is a reconnaissance aircraft, so it would seem likely that the Chinese military experts would want to board the aircraft to assess what is there, and I understand this morning that diplomats are meeting with the crew. U.S. officials state that the Chinese generally intercept one out of every three U.S. patrol flights. It is presumed that all 24 crew members are safe, but there is yet to be a direct contact between the crew and American officials.
American officials are there and are hoping to get in to talk to the crew.
Navy officials also claim that last week a confrontation occurred between a Chinese warship and a Navy surveillance ship in international waters. The officials describe the incident as threatening. Other examples showing cracks within our forged relationship with China also bear noting, such as China's involvement with Pakistan's nuclear bomb program and their recent questionable involvement in Iraq, to name just a few. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that our relationship with China needs to be carefully reevaluated. Since PNTR, we have seen aggressive behavior on their part.