The Chinese government and people have demanded the United States explain the plane collision caused by a US military surveillance plane on Sunday as soon as possible, shoulder all the responsibilities for the incident, apologize to the Chinese side and take effective measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Such demands are fully justified.

On April 1, a US military surveillance plane rammed and caused the crash of a Chinese fighter jet off the coast of Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The pilot is still missing.

After the incident, the US plane intruded into Chinese airspace and landed at a Chinese airport without permission from the Chinese side, infringing upon Chinese sovereignty and airspace.

It is clear that the US plane broke flight rules and made dangerous movements, causing the crash of the Chinese jet and the missing of the Chinese pilot, and violated international and Chinese laws.

The acts of the US plane violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and are against the consensus reached between China and the United States in May last year on avoiding military risks in sea areas.

Just as Chinese President Jiang Zemin said, the US side is fully responsible for the incident, and should apologize to the Chinese people.

Chinese leaders and the Chinese government have stated China's solemn stand on the issue. Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan has lodged solemn representations with the US side. A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense Wednesday voiced China's indignation and condemnation over the acts of the US plane. Chinese citizens, including the family of the missing pilot Wang Wei, expressed indignation and condemned the United States for its hegemonic behavior.

Why does the US side frequently send military surveillance planes to sea areas so close to China? Why did the US plane violate flight rules by making a sudden movement toward the Chinese jet and ramming and damaging it? Why did the US plane intrude into China's airspace and land at a Chinese airport without permission? The Chinese government and people are entitled to know the answers to these questions, and the US side is duty-bound to explain the whole incident to the Chinese people.

Though the airspace is not marked with lines or traffic lights, it is internationally recognized the air routes and flight rules for planes (including military planes) allow no violation.

However, the US side has not made clear its stance, despite the repeated solemn representations and protests from the Chinese side. Instead of respecting the facts, bearing the full responsibility and making an apology, the United States has used lame arguments and called black white.

The attitude and approach of the US side have aroused dissatisfaction from international media.

The Spanish newspaper El Mundo asked in an editorial: Would Washington tolerate a Chinese spy plane flying over the sea 80 kilometers off New York or Los Angeles?

The Straits Times of Singapore said the United States has shown a double standard concerning the incident.

The Philippines' World News said the US behaves as if only Americans are precious and everyone else's life is not worth a dime.

Al-Ittihad, an official newspaper of the United Arab Emirates, said in an editorial Tuesday that China is fully justified in demanding that the United States bear full responsibility for the incident.

Even an online poll by the American magazine Time said that 77.8 percent of people surveyed felt that the United States should be held mostly responsible for the incident.

In contrast, the Chinese side has all along been dealing with the incident in a sober, restrained and responsible manner.

In addition, the Chinese side has, in the spirit of humanitarianism, made proper arrangements for the US crew, and arranged a meeting between the crew and US diplomats. By so doing, the Chinese side has fully demonstrated sincerity in its efforts to properly settle the incident.

China's sovereignty and national dignity allow no infringement. To the Chinese government and people, nothing is more important than safeguarding national sovereignty and dignity.

The US side should be fully aware of the seriousness of the incident, apologize to the Chinese people, take a sincere attitude towards the solemn stand and demands of China, and cooperate with China in properly dealing with the incident, thus facilitating the development of Sino-US relations.

(People's Daily 04/06/2001)