US Holds "All Responsibilities" for Plane Incident, President Jiang


U.S. Damaged Military Plane in Hainan
President Jiang Zemin said Tuesday that the United States should "bear full responsibilities" for the collision between Chinese and U.S. military planes.

"We have sufficient evidence," Jiang said while meeting with visiting Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al-Thani of the State of Qatar.

A US military surveillance plane collided with a Chinese military jet in the airspace near the waters of South China's Hainan Province during its spy flight. The Chinese jet was crashed after the US.jet displayed dangerous moves. The US plane along with its 24-member crew is now landed at an airport in Hainan.

President on Air Collision Incident

The President has urged the United States to stop reconnaissance flights in the airspace off China's coastal areas, to prevent recurrence of the April 1 air collision incident.


Missing Spot of Chinese Pilot Near Hainan
Only by doing so will it be favorable to the development of Sino-US relations, Jiang said.

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, Jiang said. "We have sufficient evidence."

"It is the US plane that violated flight rules by displaying dangerous moves, bumped into and destroyed our plane, and as a result the pilot is missing," Jiang said.

"What is the most precious is human life," he said. "I am deeply concerned about the safety of the pilot and has time and again given instructions to search for and rescue the pilot at all costs and with utmost efforts," he said.

"We cannot understand why the United States often sends its planes to make surveillance flights in areas so close to China," Jiang said.

"And this time, the US plane bumped into our plane, invaded the Chinese territorial airspace and landed at our airport in violation of international laws and practices," he said.

Jiang Urges US to Stop All Spy Flights Against China

President Jiang said that the United State should stop all spy flights in airspace of the Chinese coastal areas so as to prevent the recurrence of plane collision incident

"We cannot understand why the United States often sent its planes to make surveillance flights in areas so close to China," he said.

"And this time, in violation of the international law and practice, the US plane bumped into our plane, invaded the Chinese territorial airspace and landed at our airport," he said.

He said the United States should stop such flights so as to be "conducive to the development of China-US relationship."

Jiang Orders All-out Efforts for Saving Missing Pilot

President Jiang Zemin said that he has on several occasions given orders to search for and rescue at any price the missing Chinese pilot at Sunday's collision between a US military surveillance plane and a Chinese military jet.

"It is the US plane, in violation of flying rules, that made dangerous moves, bumped into and destroyed our plane and caused our pilot missing," he said.

"What is most precious is human life," he said. "I am deeply concerned about the safety of the missing pilot and has given the instruction for many times to make utmost efforts in the search- and-rescue work," he said.

President Jiang Concerned About Safety of Missing Pilot

President Jiang Zemin has on several occasions instructed the Chinese Navy and relevant departments to make their utmost efforts to search for and rescue the pilot who parachuted after his fighter was bumped into and damaged by a US military surveillance plane Sunday morning.

Jiang, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, expressed great concern for the safety of the missing pilot.

The Chinese Navy has sent search and rescue vessels and planes to the waters to the southeast of Hainan Island, where the incident took place. The Guangzhou Marine Salvation Bureau also sent salvation ships immediately to the site of the incident.

Till 16:00 Monday Beijing time, the military and local authorities have sent 11 ships and more than 20 planes to the site, combing the waters for the missing pilot round the clock.

However, the pilot is still missing searching efforts are continuing.






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