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US Should Bear Full Responsibility for Plane Collision, FM Spokesman
The United States should bear full responsibility for the recent collision between Chinese and US military planes in the airspace off the coast of China's Hainan Island, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said.
Zhu made the remarks Tuesday afternoon at a press conference. He said that a solution to the incident is up to the US, "because the Chinese side is the victim."
Zhu said that the US plane is not an ordinary aircraft at all. The US aircraft is a military surveillance plane that caused the Chinese plane to crash and it entered Chinese airspace and then landed at a Chinese airport in violation of international and Chinese laws and relevant Sino-U.S. agreements.
He said, "We have sufficient evidence that it is the US plane that violated flight rules by making dangerous moves, bumped into and destroyed our plane, and as a result the pilot is missing."
The Chinese side is deeply concerned about the safety of the pilot and will do its utmost to search for and rescue him, Zhu noted.
The incident occurred in China's exclusive economic zone and near the sea area of China's Hainan island, the spokesman said, adding that the US plane had threatened China's security.
The US should not ask China to do this and that, instead the US itself should explain the whole thing to China and bear the full responsibility, he said.
Zhu demanded that the US seriously consider China's solemn representation and protest and take effective mesuress to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.
Zhu said that the key to stopping a recurrence of such an incident is the US stopping reconnaissance flights in the airspace off China's coastal areas.
China Has Right to Inspect US Surveillance PlaneZhu Bangzao said that China has the full right to inspect the US surveillance plane.
"Some people say that the American airplanes are American assets and American territory. But how has the American territory moved to the Chinese land?" Zhu Bangzao asked at the regular press conference.
Zhu pointed out that international law is applicable to all countries in the world. The US surveillance plane is not an ordinary aircraft, but a military plane that had intruded into Chinese airspace and landed at a Chinese military airport without approval from the Chinese side.
In line with relevant Chinese and international laws, the Chinese government has the full right to investigate the incident.
When asked whether China had sent technical personnel to conduct a technical inspection of the American plane, Zhu said that what the American plane did is an infringement upon Chinese sovereignty, and therefore, there is nothing to do with diplomatic immunity and China has every right to inspect the plane.
The American side has violated international laws and the consensus made between China and the US in May 2000, Zhu noted.
US Crew Safe in Hainan The 24-member crew of the US military surveillance plane that crashed a Chinese plane and landed at an airport in Hainan are safe, said the spokesman.
Zhu said in response to a journalist's question that the Chinese side has made proper arrangements for the US crew in accordance with the international norms and in the spirit of humanitarianism, stressing that China will observe relevant agreements on the matter.
"The Chinese side is also arranging a meeting between the US diplomats and the crew," the spokesman added.
The referred U.S. military surveillance plane collided Sunday with a Chinese military jet off the coast of South China's Hainan Province during its spy flight. The Chinese jet was crashed after the US jet displayed dangerous moves.
Zhu said Chinese side is still making efforts to go into the case and the search for the Chinese pilot who fell into the water is also going on.
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