Crash blame differs
Response varies on fault, U.S. apology

By Julie Ann Matonis
Staff Reporter

Campus response to the collision of a Chinese fighter jet and an American spy plane over the weekend has been mixed, with some disagreement over which country is to blame.

Kaili Chen, a graduate student in education, said she hopes that the United States and China can work out their conflicts because the two countries are important to each other.

“I’m sad about the Chinese pilot missing,” Chen said. “He’s one of my countrymen. The United States needs to take the initiative and settle the problem in peace. It seems that they have hurt China.”

Heather Chatambudza, a junior advertising/public relations major, said she thinks the United States should apologize.

“I understand that spying is something that is done,” Chatambudza said. “(The United States) got caught doing it and they should apologize. I think the situation can be resolved without fighting if done cautiously.”

The collision happened Sunday morning off the southern Chinese island of Hainan, according to China and U.S. military spokesmen.

The American pilot put out a distress call and landed at the nearest air field on Hainan. China maintains the crew of 24 is being held in “protective custody.” The pilot of the Chinese fighter parachuted out and remains missing.

Ralph Carter, a professor of political science at TCU, said he thinks a U.S. apology is unlikely.

“Everything I know suggests that the plane was in international airspace, and nothing illegal was done,” Carter said. “I don’t think an apology will be forthcoming and it seems extraordinarily unlikely that a turbo plane instigated a turn that a fighter pilot couldn’t get away from.”

One Chinese academic claimed that in-flight encounters

were common with U.S. surveillance aircraft, which were flying along China’s coastline listening to its military.

Cmdr. Rex Totty, a U.S. military spokesman, confirmed that interceptions are common but denied that U.S. planes routinely intrude on Chinese airspace.

“Our aircraft routinely operate in international air space on reconnaissance missions and it is routine for Chinese aircraft to respond by intercepting and shadowing us,” Totty said.

China has demanded that the United States apologize for the collision, which it blames on the American plane. In Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Wednesday that there would be no U.S. apology.

China says the American pilot caused the crash by suddenly veering into the Chinese jet, one of two sent up to follow the plane into Chinese airspace. U.S. military authorities say it was more likely that the faster, lighter Chinese plane brushed against the EP-3E, an unarmed four-engine propeller-driven plane equipped to listen in on radio signals and monitor radar sites.

U.S. officials said Wednesday the crew indicated they managed to destroy at least some of the highly sensitive electronic intelligence-gathering equipment and data on board the plane before it landed.

U.S. diplomatic representatives met Tuesday with the crew members and reported them to be in good health. Chinese officials refused to allow the American officials to meet alone with the crew members and have not allowed them to contact their families in the United States.

Julie Ann Matonis
j.a.matonis@student.tcu.edu

This story contains information from the Associated Press.