U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld provides new details on the April 1 collision. As the U.S. crew is welcomed home, both China and the U.S. acknowledge there's more work to be done. James Sasser, former U.S. ambassador to China, also says there are lessons to be learned. The release of the U.S. crew is good news for bilateral relations, experts say. Although there are still bumps in the road, trade and WTO talks should not be affected.
China continues to demand an apology, but the U.S. is unlikely to concede.
Unless President Bush produces the apology his Chinese counterpart demands, their diplomats could be in for a long haul. China's demands for an American apology come from a culture that goes to great lengths to avoid such admissions of guilt. A group of doctors who came to China on the first direct United Airlines flight from Chicago to Beijing stayed busy at Chinese hospitals for most of their week here and reported productive medical exchanges. Business is business, and politics is politics. However, a government delegation has decided to change its plans.