Singapore pushed Thursday for the United States and China to resolve their row over an American spy plane soon, stressing that Washington-Beijing ties were vital to regional stability.

"Good Sino-US relations are vital to the stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region," the ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.

"What has happened is most unfortunate. We hope that the US and China will be able to resolve the problem as soon as possible," it said.

A foreign ministry spokesman said Singapore has not been approached to mediate in the dispute, and "in any case, it is clear that both the US and China are in direct communication with each other."

Sunday morning a US spy plane bumped into and damaged a Chinese jet while on a surveillance flight.

Till now, the Chinese pilot remains missing.

(China Daily 04/05/2001)