Based on their conversations with the crew during meetings on Hainan Island, the diplomats said the Chinese were clearly warned ahead of time that the Navy plane was going to make an emergency landing. The runways had been cleared and there were no warning flares fired to indicate the plane did not have permission to land. One of the diplomats speculated that one reason China took such a hard line in the incident is that the military misled senior government officials about what took place. It's very possible the leadership were presented with a set of facts at odds with what actually happened, he said. The April 18 session is setting up to be a contentious meeting.
China says it intends to use the upcoming talks to raise objections to U.S. surveillance flights.
Beijing has made no commitment to return the plane. In this incident, as you know, China is a victim, and we are going to make an investigation on the plane, said Zhu Bangzao, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Zhu held a news conference in Havana, where President Jiang Zemin was wrapping up a visit to Latin America. What to do about this plane will be decided according to the result of the investigation. In Washington, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said State and Defense Department officials representing the United States would ask tough questions of the Chinese.