But the Navy spokesman stressed the U-S plane was in international airspace when the incident occurred. The Chinese jet involved reportedly did not crash. 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 Chinese military is so far declining to comment. This incident happens as 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. China is saying a U-S Navy plane caused a collision with one of its military aircraft off the country's southern coast. David McGuffin reports from Beijing. China says a U-S Navy reconnaissance plane veered into one of its fighter jets over the South China sea, causing the jet to crash. A statement from the Chinese foreign ministry says a search is underway for the Chinese crew.