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US Spy Plane Crew Leaves Haikou, South China
The 24 crew members of the US military reconnaissance plane, which rammed into and destroyed a Chinese military aircraft and subsequently intruded into the Chinese airspace illegally on April 1, left Haikou of China Thursday by a commercial charter plane rented by the US Government in the presence of the competent Chinese departments.
On April 1, the US military reconnaissance plane rammed into and destroyed a Chinese military aircraft, resulting in the missing of a Chinese pilot, intruded into the Chinese airspace and landed at the Lingshui Airport in China's Hainan Province without permission. The responsibility for this incident lies entirely with the US side. The Chinese Government has lodged protests and solemn representations with the US Government over the US intrusion into the Chinese airspace and its encroachment upon China's sovereignty in violation of international law to the detriment of China's national security interests. The Chinese Government has also demanded that the US side should take full responsibility for the incident, apologize to the Chinese people and take concrete and effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
On April 11, Ambassador Joseph Prueher, the representative plenipotentiary of the US Government for handling the incident in which the US military plane rammed into a Chinese military plane, presented to Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan a letter on behalf of the US Government, in which the US Government said it was very sorry to the Chinese people and the family of pilot Wang Wei for the loss of the Chinese jet and the pilot and to the Chinese side for its plane entering the Chinese territorial airspace and landing at China's airfield without verbal clearance. The US Government expressed in the letter its appreciation of China's efforts of seeing to the well being of the crew in accordance with international practice.
The competent departments of China have made necessary inquiries with the American crew. The Chinese side has decided, out of humanitarian considerations, to allow them to leave China.
US Says `Very Sorry', 24 People to Leave China
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said in Beijing on April 11 that since the US Government has already said ``very sorry'' to the Chinese people, the Chinese government has, out of humanitarian considerations, decided to allow the 24 people on the US spy plane to leave China after completeing the necessary procedures.
Tang said he received a letter, handed by US Ambassador to China at 5:30 pm (09:30 GMT) April 11 at China's foreign ministry.
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