Major States 957
the plane and could possibly have had access to the sensitive materials that the
crew had been unable to destroy before the plane landed.- On April 7, the United States and China exchanged drafts of proposed letters
expressing regret by both sides that would begin efforts to secure the return
of the 24 Americans held by the Chinese. The Chinese sought in the letter an
apology for the incident, while the Americans sought the return of the crew and
airplane without having to formally admit blame for the collision. - On April 11, the White House sent a formal statement of regret to the Chinese
over the spy plane incident. The White House was still awaiting the Chinese
reply. Secretary of State Powell used the word “sorry” in the letter to describe
his feelings toward the incident; however, there was no apology for the incident
in the letter. - The Chinese government accepted the American statement of regret later that
night and announced the release of the crew members. Though the American letter
expressed regret, an apology for the incident was absent. Chinese media said the
statement of regret to make it seem as if the Americans had offered a deep apology
for the incident. - The American letter to the Chinese government admitted that the US spy plane
“had entered Chinese airspace and landed without verbal clearance.” Meetings
were scheduled between the two governments for April 18 to discuss the inci-
dent, cover its causes, and put forth ways to prevent another such incident from
occurring. - On April 30, the Chinese agreed to return the US spy plane. The White House
denied reports that it would pay the Chinese for the plane beyond the practical costs
of shipping the plane back to the United States.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from April 1, 2001.
MID#4450
Dispute Number: 4450
Date(s): September 19, 2002
Participants: 710 China/2 United States of America
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: Chinese patrols buzzed an American oceanographic ship within Chinese
exclusive economic zone.
MID#4486
Dispute Number: 4486
Date(s): March 9, 2009 to March 19, 2009
Participants: 710 China/2 United States of America
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None