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American Morning

U.S./China Relations: Two Countries Set to Meet Wednesday

Aired April 16, 2001 - 10:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush has kept a low profile in recent days in an apparent attempt to not deepen the first international confrontation facing his administration. But behind- the-scenes, he has ordered U.S. diplomats to ask some tough questions during Wednesday's meeting.

CNN's senior White House correspondent John King is standing outside the executive mansion this morning, where the president returned last night. Good morning, John, once again. Let me ask you, first of all, about this meeting coming up. What are the expectations going into this meeting Wednesday between the U.S. and China? Is anything concrete expected on either side here?

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are expectations, Leon, and there are hopes, as well. The expectation from the U.S. side is that the Chinese will use this meeting to once again make their case that the U.S. plane invaded their air space, that the U.S. side should accept full responsibility. What the U.S. side will do in this meeting, we're told, is to present more evidence that they view as conclusive that it was the Chinese pilots who flew too close to that U.S. plane, as you just heard the crew members explain.

What the U.S. is hoping to get out of this meeting, unclear whether they can get it out of one meeting or whether there will need to be additional conversations, they're hoping to get permission for a U.S. repair crew to go to Hainan Island and repair that EP-3 surveillance plane and get it out of there, more a source of pride than anything else at this point, U.S. officials conceding the Chinese military has had plenty of time to look at that plane and gather any information that might be helpful to the Chinese from it, but the U.S. side wants to get that plane back.

And then after that they hope this meeting at least begins a dialogue on a new set of protocols that the U.S. side hopes will convince the Chinese to avoid such a situation in the future by keeping their fighter pilots farther away from those U.S. surveillance flights.

HARRIS: Well, those talks come up in two days. There's another decision that President Bush has to make within the next 10 days or so and that is on whether or not to sell equipment to Taiwan that China is asking the U.S. to not follow through on. Any chance these two items may become related? KING: Well, certainly the administration insists the president will make the decision on arms sales to Taiwan independent of anything Beijing says or of this latest incident. But the administration also acknowledges you can't help but acknowledge the current climate. Those in the Congress who favor a much more pro-Taiwan stance using the stand-off to make their case that China is a growing military power in the region trying to flex its muscle and intimidate not only Taiwan, but the United States into backing off from the South China Sea.

They are pushing, the pro-Taiwan elements in the Congress, and we know some of them in high level administration positions, because when they were out of government they were very pro-Taiwan, they're pushing for the sale of the Aegis missile, the Aegis radar system, excuse me. That is based on a ship-based radar. That would help the Taiwan government but it also could be a down payment, if you will, on the administration's plan for regional missile defense systems.

The president says he will make that decision independent, but of course you can't ignore the political climate, a number of other alternatives on his plate, as well, submarine systems, Kidd class destroyers. That decision, though, sure to be the next point of tension in U.S.-China relations even as you have these negotiations and discussions about the fallout from the surveillance plane collision.

HARRIS: John King at the White House this morning, thanks. We'll talk to you later.

Well, Chinese pilot Wang Wei was at the controls both literally and figuratively, if you think about it, when his jet sent two governments on a diplomatic collision course. Now presumed dead, Wang's actions proved to be the final moments of his life and in death he is again at the center of this dispute.

CNN's Beijing bureau chief Rebecca MacKinnon explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the U.S., he's called a reckless pilot. But in China, Wang Wei is a hero. The search for Wang was called off on Saturday. The state controlled media now eulogizes him as a revolutionary martyr, a model for China's youth. But, as it prepares for talks with the U.S. on Wednesday over the fate of the U.S. spy plane, China's focus has now shifted away from what Wang Wei did or didn't do. Beijing says the U.S. is wrong to send surveillance planes so close to China in the first place.

According to one official editorial, the EP-3 was flying inside an area China claims as an exclusive economic zone, stretching around a group of islands it lays claim to in the South China Sea. It says surveillance flights inside that zone violate international law.

More fundamentally, observers here say, surveillance missions conducted by American men and women like these rub China's military weakness in its face. SHEN JIRU, ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE: It's part of their containment policy towards China. They want to be ready for a war with China over Taiwan. This is cold war logic. They have spy satellites. Why do they have to send planes so close? They're always doing something on China's doorstep.

MACKINNON: For many Chinese, the facts of the case are less important than being treated by the U.S. with respect. We're angry that the U.S. is demanding its plane back, says this man. America hurt our national pride. But others seem to care less. This man says he's never heard of Wang Wei and never reads the newspapers.

(on camera): Privately, many Chinese say they're worried the spy plane blame game could turn into an ideological battle between hard- liners in both countries while ordinary Chinese would much rather do business with the U.S. and get on with their lives.

Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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