But President Bush also needed to resist drastic measures, which would have jeopardized stable and constructive Sino-US relations in the long term. Second, experienced diplomats and traditional diplomacy are still essential to forging consensus in their respective decisionmaking systems and between countries. The resolution of this standoff is a triumph of diplomacy - painstaking efforts by both sides, drawing on institutional and personal relationships, to bridge differences and create common ground sufficient for both sides to declare victory. A US reconnaissance aircraft and Chinese jet fighter collide in international airspace with the loss of the Chinese plane and pilot. The US plane makes an unauthorized landing on Chinese territory.
China demands an apology.
The US declares it is not at fault and will not apologize. Talk about it. The solution came in a series of US statements, which expressed regret over the loss of China's pilot and the US plane's landing without permission. This is classic diplomacy - carefully worded statements and actions whereby each side says and sees what it wants. Both sides win.