One engine was dead, another damaged, and the pilot could neither gauge his speed nor control it with the plane's flaps. The pilot was about to order his crew to bail out when he regained control and steered the craft to an emergency landing. Beijing officials are demanding the United States apologize for the collision, the loss of the Chinese pilot and plane and what it claims was an illegal landing by the spy plane at the Chinese base. The U.S. has refused. Instead, negotiations for the crew's release center on a letter in which the United States would say it regrets the loss of the Chinese pilot and the fact that the Navy plane landed on Chinese territory.
Sources say the crew has asked diplomats that the U.S. make no apologies for the incident.
Whether a statement of regret will be enough was not clear Monday, as China's military began moving itself to the front lines of the crisis, with the defense minister visiting the wife of downed pilot Wang Wei and calling for more money to beef up his army. The official military newspaper, the People's Liberation Army Daily , upped the ante for any settlement, insisting the U.S. must now pay compensation for the missing pilot and the plane. Now, even repeated expressions of regret by American officials like Secretary of State Colin Powell may not be enough. China watchers say things could easily get worse if there's no quick end to the standoff, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante . Overall, you're going to find a much harsher tone, much deeper suspicion and real difficulty doing business as usual with this country.