China will allow a meeting on Monday evening between US diplomats and crew of the American spy plane on Hainan island, a US official said.

"There will be a meeting," said Mark Canning, spokesman for the US Consulate in Guangzhou, told reporters.

It would be the fourth time American diplomats have met crew, but they are pushing for daily access to all 24 crew members, whose spy plane made an emergency landing on Hainan on April 1 after a mid-air collision that brought down a Chinese fighter.

Speaking to reporters in Beijing, US Ambassador Joseph Prueher said: "We are in dialogue with our Chinese counterparts and we hope we're moving a little closer to a solution."

(Agencies 04/09/2001)