Word: piloting
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...Having defined the issue as a standoff over a hostile incursion that cost the life of a Chinese pilot, Beijing found itself unable to release the U.S. crew without an apology. But although it opted immediately for a diplomatic solution, the U.S. was never going to use the word daoqian, a formal apology that accepts blame - the U.S. believes it did nothing wrong flying a surveillance mission in international airspace, and has no intention of refraining from doing so in the future. In the battle of wills over the wording of the not-quite-apology, Washington wouldn't even...
...Washington even put out its own Chinese version of the letter, using the phrase wan xi (deep sorrow and regret) over the missing pilot, feichang baoqian (extremely sorry) for landing without permission, and feichang wanxi (extreme sympathy) for Wang's family over their loss. Whether or not that was enough for the Chinese was a moot point - Beijing's media simply did their own translation of the English text, in which the double "very sorry" became the very "shenbiao qianyi" (deep expression of apology or regret) that Washington had steered clear of. It's a safe bet that...
...China's military: Losers, despite the spin Although they have gotten to pore over the remains of a top-of-the-line U.S. intelligence-gathering platform, their domestic standing may have suffered: After all, they lost a frontline fighter and pilot in a tussle with an unarmed propeller plane, and then appeared to be taken by surprise when that propeller plane landed at one of their airbases. The U.S. statement accepted by the Chinese leadership concludes that the circumstances of the crash remain unclear, in contrast to the Chinese insistence that the U.S. plane rammed their fighter. And with their...
...Still, there were plenty of signs of a softening atmosphere; President Bush dispatched a personal letter of condolence to the wife of the Chinese pilot believed killed in the collision with the U.S. plane, and Chinese officials allowed a fourth visit by U.S. officials Monday to the detained crew members...
...visit to Latin America, which began last Wednesday, may complicate matters. Some observers believe that the Jiang's absence from Beijing is giving greater weight to statements emanating from the military, which is taking a harder line in part because of its own embarrassment at losing a pilot and a plane and then apparently being taken by surprise when the stricken U.S. aircraft arrived in Hainan. In some quarters of the Chinese military, the option has been raised of putting the U.S. personnel on trial, an intolerable option for Washington which would raise the pressure for some form of diplomatic...