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Asia steers neutral course on U.S.-China standoff
HONG KONG, China -- Interest among Asian nations in the standoff between China and the U.S. is high, with no one willing to take sides but all pushing for a swift resolution. "Very seldom do other countries get involved when elephants are pitted against each other," said Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Manila has maintained a "neutral" position on the saga, which began early on Sunday morning when a U.S. spy plane and Chinese F-8 fighter jet collided over the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries II, with 24 crew aboard, was forced to make an emergency landing on China's Hainan Island, while the F-8 fighter and its pilot remain missing. United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan, currently visiting Kenya, said he hoped the matter would be settled peacefully. "I know the U.S. has asked for access to the 24 officers on the plane. I also offer my condolences to the family of the Chinese air pilot and my sympathy to the pilot who is missing." 'No surprise'Russia has said the collision comes as "no surprise" given the level of aerial activity in the region, while Vietnam -- China's communist neighbor -- says it is watching the unfolding drama very closely. "We follow this issue with great interest," said a spokeswoman for Vietnam's foreign ministry. Vietnam and China are two of several countries in dispute over territory in the South China Sea, and have clashed over the remote Spratly Islands several hundred kilometers to the southeast of Hainan Island. Asked of Vietnam's view of U.S. surveillance flights in the region, the spokeswoman said: "All activities in the (South China Sea) should be conducted in accordance with international law and the laws of the nations concerned." China blames the U.S. for the incident, saying the U.S. aircraft veered into the intercepting F-8, while the U.S. says the collision was an accident. It has complained at only being allowed access to the plane's crew after nearly three days, and for a perceived lack of information emanating of China. Swift resolutionJapan, where the U.S. spy plane is based, urged a swift resolution to the standoff, saying good relations between the U.S. and China are vital for the Asia-Pacific region. Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province, has urged both sides to deal with the matter "peacefully and with wisdom". Taiwan and the U.S. are due to close a major arms deal in the next fortnight and an editorial in the English-language Taipei Times on Tuesday said the island would "inevitably become the front line state in any clash between the two titans". In contrast to the Asian reaction, the confrontation appears to have caught Europe slightly off guard. British newspapers are monitoring the situation closely, with The Times newspaper warning that China would be wise to avoid a fight. "The bigger the storm in China over this incident, the better Taiwan is likely to be (militarily) equipped by Washington," it said. The Guardian newspaper says in its editorial that the standoff shows "just how easily George Bush's concept of 'strategic competition' with China can turn nasty". But European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana -- who takes orders from the 15 members of the EU -- said: "Europe has no common position." "It is a very unfortunate incident but we don't know the details," he said. "There certainly has been no discussion of this incident here in Brussels." Reuters contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES:
Navy crew struggled to land severely damaged plane RELATED SITES:
Government Information Office, Republic of China |
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