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American Morning

U.S./China Relations: What Next?

Aired April 16, 2001 - 09:01   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 ANCHOR: Let's start off with the crew of the U.S. surveillance that came back from China.

Well, they spent their Easter weekends with their families after a rousing welcome home. But the fallout from the collision with the Chinese fighter jet continues against the complicated background of U. S.-Chinese relations. On Whidbey Island, Washington, the crew's home base, there were some celebrations and a heroes' welcome for the 24 crewmembers like you wouldn't believe.

But while the standoff has ended, its effect on U. S.-Chinese relations has not. We get the latest on that from CNN's John King at the White House this morning -- John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

Well, "What next?" the big question facing the administration and the U.S. Congress. Now, of course, that the standoff over and the crew's safely returned home, as you mentioned, the president has some big decisions to make, both in the short and in the long term.

In the next 10 days or so, he must decide which U.S. weapons systems to sell to Taiwan. That will, of course, affect U.S.-China relations. The president, looking further down the road, also must decide -- and he will face some pressure from the right on this -- whether to cancel a scheduled visit to Beijing this fall, as, again, part of what he would call some sort of ramifications for what the U.S. believes is unacceptable conduct on behalf of Chinese, holding that crew for more than 10 days on Hainan Island.

Now this debate also playing out also in the Congress. Lawmakers in both parties saying there is no question that the -- because of this standoff, there will be a significant change in the tone of the debate about U.S.-China relations, whether the issue is should the United States come out and oppose China's hosting the 2008 Olympics, should the United States take any steps to revoke trade privileges now given to China.

That is a debate, the trade debate, that could come up this fall, and even those who support continued trade with China say there will be some impact here, among them Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: I hope it never reaches the point where we cancel our trade relationship with the Chinese. I think it's in the best interests of both countries to have a fair trade relationship between the two of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now the biggest question facing the president, which U.S. weapons to sell to Taiwan. On the table, Taiwan has requested the most sophisticated U.S. ship-based radar system, the Aegis radar system. That would go on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Among those arguing against that sale, the former U.S. Ambassador to China James Sasser.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES SASSER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: If the Aegis system is sold to Taiwan, then we're going to see severe turbulence in the Chinese-U.S. relationship. I think we'll see problems then developing in our commercial relationship with them. There will be retaliation against American companies in China, a whole host of things. And I think it would also destabilize the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland Chinese government now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now many members of Congress in both parties out on the Sunday talk-show circuit and speaking about this all throughout the weekend. Quite a contrast, the administration taking a very low-key approach, sending no senior officials out to talk about this just yet.

One of the reasons for that, we are told, that meeting in Beijing later this week. U.S. officials want to see how China reacts when the U.S. side presses for the immediate repair and return of that EP-3 plane and for commitments from the Chinese government that its fighter planes will keep at what the U.S. insists must be a safer distance when there are such flights in the future -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right. Thanks much. John King at the White House this morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, as the crew of that U.S. surveillance plane enjoys some time off after their detention in China, there are some new details that are emerging about the collision and its consequences. Three members of the cockpit crew, including pilot Shane Osborn, spoke with CNN This Morning about their experiences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. SHANE OSBORN, U.S. NAVY: I thought on the initial impact that -- that he had just killed us and, obviously, there's 24 people on board and -- of which I care about every single one of them very much. So I wasn't happy with the aggressive nature of the intercept.

He was, obviously, on the first two run-ins, having controllability problems flying that slow. We were only about 180 knots, and his aircraft is not made to fly -- fly that slow, and the fact he felt it necessary after we turned away -- prior to the first run-in, we had turned away from his island, and the fact he felt it necessary to come up that aggressive three times was definitely -- shows their intentions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Lieutenant Osborne spoke with CNN's Brian Nelson and Colleen McEdwards a short time ago on CNN's LIVE AT DAYBREAK.

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