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CNN Saturday Morning News

Cultural Conflict Makes U.S.-Chinese Diplomacy Difficult

Aired April 07, 2001 - 08:41   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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it wasn't just a Navy spy plane that collided with a Chinese jet fighter. It was a collision between two very different cultures with each side feeling it is the victim. And CNN's senior Asian correspondent Mike Chinoy has been covering that part of the world for many years now. Mike joins us now from Hong Kong with his insights into the delicate diplomatic dance now taking place between Washington and Beijing -- Hi, Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SENIOR ASIAN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Brian.

Well, it is a very delicate diplomatic dance and it just got a good bit more complicated because China's vice premier, Qian Qichen, has sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell reiterating China's demand that the U.S. make an apology before there can be any further progress on the question of the detained American flyers, Chen saying that the statements of regret so far was just not enough.

And the question here is is this simply another negotiating ploy before a final agreement can be struck, given that there have been very optimistic noises coming out of Washington, or is this the Chinese leadership laying down a hard line bottom line?

There are analysts that I've been speaking with in Beijing who suggest that it may, in fact, be the case that Beijing feels that without some kind of apology, it cannot move forward.

It's important for cultural reasons in China, the issue of face and so on, that if someone is accused of doing something wrong, there's always tremendous pressure on them to admit their mistakes. For example, when I was based in Beijing years ago and we would get picked up by the police for filming where we weren't supposed to, they would always demand that we admit we were wrong before they'd let us go and give us our videotape back. That's part of it.

But there is also a hard-line faction in the Chinese military and security apparatus that is distrustful of the United States and that distrust is somewhat more widely shared given the Bush administration's emphasis on taking a tough line towards China. So the Chinese may be saying no apology, no deal. We'll have to wait and see -- Brian.

NELSON: All right, thank you. CNN's Mike Chinoy reporting to us from Hong Kong.

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