It is time for China Daily to terminate this comment quest.

The only thing I learned from this exercise, is that the the fate of humanity is very very tenuous due to the very very low average intelligence, perspicacity, and basic power of reason, shown by participants.

In summary, the British Empire is still very influential in the world, in an evil self-serving sense. China should emerge as a great power in world decision-making, but they don't want to lead yet.

Russia is emerging nicely as a friendly power and wishes to be on the world stage. And the United States is or should be the laughing stock of the world, with their leadership pushing for Fascist/Confederate ideas.

The battle is not about spying, but about the conflict of human ideas. One force believes man is just another animal, to be used, abused, killed for profit.

The other force still believes man was made in the image of GOD, to hold dominion, to grow and prosper, to reach the stars and maybe even Mars.

At the moment, sitting on the tarmac of a Chinese island airport is the American spy aircraft, rated as the best in the world by way of advanced electronic technology. Such a sight proves to be too emotional to any American. He or she just can bear the thought of their latest aircraft being investigate by people which he or she don't care and even despised and mocked at. If one were to put himself in the shoes of an American, this is too humilating and undreamable. What, our superior aircraft sitting there to be searched, examined and taken apart (forgive me, my speculation and offense intended at the Chinese)by an ideological and strategic enemy? This is mind-numbing, disgraceful and totally unacceptable. Next, with 24 American "patriots" being detained by the Chinese and with no indication of when they could be released is another angry and frustrating feeling that only the American themselves can feel. But setting emotions aside, let's be realistic. Why is this American spy plane doing here or once above the air space of China? Why are those crew members being "incarcerated" and no American attempts to effect their immediate release?

Furthermore, why do they have too spy against China, a well-known peaceful country which is trying to upgrade its economy? Why do the Americans vehemently insist that their spy plane is right and that the defensive Chinese jet is wrong? Is there something to hide on the part of the Americans? Why are the Americans finding it so difficult to say sorry to the Chinese when clearly seen that the Americans at at fault (also caught red-handed)? Why do the Americans only concerned about the welfare of their own people and mindless prejudical about the fate of the heroic Chinese pilot? These questions can be answered in one word - the Americans care two hoots about others in their endeavour to get what they wanted! Not only are the robbers and thieves and racists, they are so bullies because they feel they are invincible. The Greek, the Romans and Babylonians also thought they were the most mighty but they became victims of history in the end and so would the Americans if they continue on a course of arrogance, self-inflated ego and resort to military violence to solve region problems. What happened to the British with its vast empires? Nothing and the sun has already set on the British Empire. It will be the same to the Americans in time as the Russians have also. These are the ebb and flow of the tide of history. It is inevitable. To China and her people, you are strong, brave and fair. Don't care what the Americans say. They can't do a thing with their 24 compatriots and the spy aircraft in your hands. You will do the world a lot of good if you will kindly bring the 24 spies to court and let them tell the story in front of a Chinese judge! The world is waiting for this to happen. Never mind the Americans or George W. Bush. They can only sit back restlessly and bite their finger nails. NO AMERICAN APOLOGY NO RELEASE OF THE TWENTY FOUR TROUBLE MAKERS NOR THE SPY PLANE. LET THEM ROT IN CHINA UNTIL THE HIMALAYS HAVE MELT ITS SNOW. Goodbye China. All the best to you all.

Evidently the ten Chinese fighter pilots on April 5th were not so reckless as Wang Wei, whose dangerous flying in at least one previous encounter was recorded on video tape shown on CNN during the last two days. For his foolish actions, Wang Wei paid a price that many reasonable people will probably think not inappropriate. He also inconsiderately caused great grief to his innocent wife and son. If this is "heroism", it belongs on the stage of Peking Opera, not in real time.

The Chinese government cynically manipulates the minds and feelings of its own people, who have no access to information other than official news media. No mention has been made of the American offer to assist in the search for Wang Wei. Official statements lead ordinary Chinese people to believe that the American plane provocatively invaded China's territory, without acknowledging the reason for the forced landing.

The Chinese government should apologize to the 24 American crew members and their families, for the unnecessary danger to their lives caused by China's pilot; the USA certainly does not owe anyone any apology in this matter. The regret expressed by President Bush and Secretary Powell to Wang Wei's family are generous and give fully sufficient consideration to genuine human feelings.

The Chinese government should also thank the American pilot for bringing his disabled ship to a safe landing, thereby saving China from having to confront responsibility for the death of 24 crew members of an unarmed aircraft.

Wang Wei's actions succeeded in bringing to China a windfall of intelligence information, but at the cost of greatly offending many ordinary Americans who had previously been favorable to China.

Chinese strategists thinks that Americans cannot tolerate the death of any of their uniformed personnel, so that "asymmetrical" warfare can neutralize superior American technology. But the Chinese people do not know that the People's Liberation Army has taken provocative initiatives at high risk. In the case of the 1999 bombing of China's embassy in Belgrade, signals intelligence operatives in the embassy were evidently acting in alliance with Yugoslav air defense efforts, in violation of the embassy's diplomatic status. That is why the Chinese government is so sure that the bombing was intentional.

China wants to be respected as a powerful and civilized modern nation. How can this kind of behavior achieve that goal?

As for the nose cone of the plane, your pictures show very clearly it was REMOVED not TORN OFF.

The question is who removed it? As far as I know we could've jetisoned the thing into the ocean.

And yes their are places that HOSTAGES really take a beating. Like your prisons. Thanks for not putting our guys in the places you know to which I refer. The same places in your country that YOU are AFRAID of! You can end up in one of those places on a whim right? People do dissapear and are never heard from again in your country correct? If you were to start a rally to demand access to "up close" pictures of the nose cone what would happen?

As to koko7912... freedom of speech sometimes offends people. I am at liberty to call the PRISONERS Hostages if that's how I see it. I don't have to play by the "media" and "government" rules and watch how I word things. If the word bothers you maybe that's because it's an unspoken truth. In any case thanks for responding and let me know when you figure out how the nose cone got ripped off the plane without tearing any metal.

Now somone that want to remain invisible wrote that our "tourist plaques are in English only." Well, I am assuming that 1) it would be an eyesoar to post a plaque in every known language and 2) as for our Hispanics that reside here BY CHOICE need to LEARN english. We pay for their schooling and I believe it is common sense to learn the language of the country you've choosen to call home!

Your government as ours and any other for that matter never can be totally trusted. For the record I trust ours very little BUT I trust others less. That is why I live here and am not moving elsewhere.

FREEDOM does exist here. Yes we have rules as does every other country. In exchange for the guidlines set by all our little governments I get a lot in exchange. It's not perfect but I can do quite abit more AND get away with a lot it than any of you can. Trust me on this.

I STRONGLY FEEL ANY US CITIZEN ONE NOT LIKING AMERICA LEAVE!

For those of you on the otherside of the world that don't like us do what we will do here. It's called BOYCOTT. We will quit buying anything from China and YOU can stop buying ANYTHING that comes from America. It's a fair proposal that can be acted on in an individual basis. But DON'T CHEAT and EAT THE WHEAT!

So, any good bands out there? Need any US records? Need something you can't find?

Send me an e-mail and I'll see if I can help you out. Enjoy your day... I'm headed to the pool.

I'll go skiny dipping in case my swimming gear was made in China. It's the least I can do.

Much Like with human rights issues and China, the USA does not understand how the people and the government of China operate together. The USA considers themselves to be the "Golden Child" of the world and have adopted the unstated policiy of "We Can do no wrong, and what we do should be how the ENTIRE world lives."

This philosophy is very WRONG for the USA, and is perhaps why the USA is being so stubborn about this issue now. How can one admit fault when they truly believe (without proof) that they are ALWAYS right. One thing I must say, At least with the new president in the USA, there is much more chance of an apology than if Bill Clinton were still in office. He's never admitted a thing he's done wrong, much less offer a sincere apology in his entire life. As a American Teacher who spent several years in P.R. of China I understand and appreceiate China's position in this matter. My suggestion to president Jiang is to understand our justice system philosohphy in the USA of "innocent until proven guilty". If there is hard evidence that the USA was at fault, share that information with the USA in a Public Forum so they can't HIDE it, and then stand fast on his demand for an apology. Right now, 99% of Americans still believe that the USA can do no wrong when it comes to international affairs. As our president is elected by the people, he is not going to take the negative public opinion of apologizing if Americans don't believe he should. I know how China operates, and do not believe that this hard stance would be taken with the USA unless China has PROOF.

President Jiang, SHARE YOUR PROOF, so that Americans can understand that China has been WRONGED and feel compassion towards China and their lost pilot/jet, and stand behind our president when an apology is offered.

The real issue is, why do we all act as though this is something new? I am a common person and Engineer/Business man and even I know that this surveillance flights (operations) by countries who have the economic means and moneys do it every day and many times in the day. In the world of today there is no real need for military confrontation because economic damage has far more terror than a mere idiotic surveillance and fighter plane can ever cause, except for the individual famillies directly affected by the loss of a loved one. It is most tragic that the lives of anyone has to be spent in a fashion of adventurism in any form, you can take this as experience from an ex-soldier with 2 years in the Jungle at the killing end of a gun.

It is with sadness that I see the same blame games being played by China and that of the U.S. while both sides point the accusing fingers at each other, however, the real issues of peace never get's addressed and pursued because this might bring out the truth that this game serves the purpose of keeping all peoples at high tension and off-balance so that the "secret fear" is never brought out to truth and understanding through mutual education and verifications. I am proud of the intellectual, cultural and humanitarian advances made by both countries of China and the U.S.A. in the last 30 years. Especially since my time in the military service and realizing the hypocrisy of the statement of fighting for freedom, for you see I was also brought up in Socialist schools in Yugoslavia. I submit the request that China and The U.S.A. owes a larger truth to the peoples of the two countries and that of the world, that is, to be responsible leaders and to have mutually coordinated investigations, to lay the results to the masses for all to examine and see that there are few responsible countries that are mutually willing to lead the world to a road of prosperity and education rather than a path of some electronically guided no-brainer assumptions and accusations.

The EP-3 spy plane, with its 24-crew of American military personnel on board, was certainly not on a glorious mission. Their job was to collect information on China for military purposes. If flew so close to China's Hainan Island (merely 124 miles from the island) that it might very well dash into Chinese territory if the direction had been good. We could just imagine its ease and calm in its surreptitious mission. US is, in any way, the only hegemonic power in the world. It has the resources, it has the capabilities, it has the high-tech, it has the free will and freedom to do so.

Ever since the end of the cold war, the US has targeted its evil intentions on China, using the so-called human right issues, the Olympic Games, PNTR,and most importantly Taiwan, as cards to provoke China. Its representatives and senators have been churning internal laws to deal blows to China. They think they are always right and China is always wrong.

To counter the spying, China often sends two fighters to shadow fly along side the US spy plane. It is a hard thing to do! Pilots are ordered not to shoot though they have the fire power against a spy plane and though sometimes the spy plane indeeds intrudes into Chinese airspace. They cannot afford losing the spy plane out of sight. To give the spy plane some interference, they have to fly close enough. It is a dangerous act of balance. They have been doing so without any errors for a long time until this one.

In dealing with the US, China knows its vulnerabilities. The country needs to protect its soverignty and dignity, but it cannot do so in high profile. Receiving blows and blows from the US politicians, China can only absorb the blows and make some nominal counter attacks. Often, this cause greater blows from the US.

China has been annoyed by the US for too long to contain its anger. Its house has been searched (in the case of the Milky Way cargo ship), bombed (in the case of embassy bombing), spied frequently ( in the spy mission) and destroed (in the case of the downed fighter and the lost pilot). China is still trying to contain its anger.

The US, knowing too well China's vulnerabilities, regards China's low-profile as the weakness of the country. Finally, one day, it decides to put in more efforts to separate Taiwan from China. By then...