The U-S Navy plane made an emergency landing in Chinese territory. All of its crewmembers are reported to be safe. The Chinese version of events is markedly different from that of the U-S Navy. The U-S government has contacted its counterparts in Beijing to ensure the Navy personnel and their plane are treated in accordance with international law and allowed to leave as soon as repairs are completed. The incident occurred while relations between China and the Bush administration are off to a rocky start, largely over U-S plans to sell modern weapon systems to Taiwan.
China considers the island a renegade province, and fiercely opposes the sales.
President Bush is expected to make a decision later this month about which weapons to sell to the Taiwanese government. Officials of both countries say the collision occurred in international airspace about 100-kilometers from the island. The Chinese pilot is still missing. U-S diplomats traveled to Hainan Island, but Ambassador Joseph Prueher said they were not able to talk to the Americans. He says Beijing does not have any legal basis to hold the crew or the plane.