The Sino-U.S. row goes on

All the 24 members of the detained crew of the American spy plane EP-3, which collided on April 1st with a Chinese fighter, are still being held in custody in China. The Chinese authorities, however, have allowed US diplomats to meet again with the crew members. In the meantime, the way out of the crisis has not yet been found, and the two sides continue to squabble. As diplomats work to defuse the crisis now in its sixth day, China is holding out for a full U.S. apology for the incident. “I have visited a lot of countries and seen that it is normal for people to ask forgiveness or say “excuse me” when they collide in the street," Chinese President Jiang Zemin is quoted as saying on his arrival in Santiago, Chilean capital. "But the American planes come to the border of our country and do not ask forgiveness. Is this behaviour acceptable?" he asked. At the same time, the Chinese President emphasized that the leaders of the People’s Republic of China and the United States should solve this problem “proceeding from the maximal interests of the development of bilateral ties.”