Tang said that the United States should bear full responsibility for the incident and apologize to China.

On April 1, a US military plane caused the crash of a Chinese jet fighter off the coast of Hainan Island in the South China Sea.

The foreign minister said the Chinese leaders, government and people are deeply concerned with the missing pilot.

"The families of the pilot are very worried," he said, adding that China has been making utmost efforts to search for and rescue the missing pilot.

The foreign minister stressed that China has all along been dealing with the incident in a cool, responsible manner and with restraint.

Tang said the US plane broke flight rules, unlawfully intruded into the Chinese territorial airspace and landed at a Chinese airport, constituting a serious infringement upon the Chinese sovereignty and territory and threatening China's national security.

However, he said, the United States did not face up to the reality or take responsibility. On the contrary, it has displayed an arrogant air, used lame arguments, called black white, and made groundless accusations against China.

In doing this, he said, the United States is "committing repeated errors," he said.

He said the remarks by the US side did not proceed from the overall situation of Sino-US relations and would not be conducive to the proper settlement of the problem.

"The Chinese people are extremely dissatisfied about this," Tang said.

Tang urged the United States to take a responsible attitude towards the plane collision incident.

China values its ties with the United States and hopes that the incident will be settled properly at an early date, Tang said. At the same time, China's sovereignty and national dignity allow no infringement, and for the Chinese government and people safeguarding the national sovereignty and dignity is more important than anything else, he added.

He urged the US side to realize the seriousness of the incident, earnestly respond to China's solemn position and demands, and work in coordination with the Chinese side for a proper settlement of the issue.

The US side should not make any erroneous calculation and continue to do something that may lead to escalation and complication of the situation, the foreign minister said.

Tang said that the US side should take a serious attitude towards the representations and solemn demands of China, properly deal with the incident in a responsible manner, and take effective measures to prevent recurrence of such an incident.

(Xinhua 04/05/2001)