Chronology of U.S.-China Standoff
April 12 -- Here is a chronology of events since the top-secret U.S. plane and a Chinese fighter collided on Sunday, sparking the crisis.
April 1A U.S. EP-3 Navy patrol aircraft, on a "routine surveillance" mission over the South China Sea, collides inmid-air with a Chinese fighter at 9:15 a.m. local time (8:15 p.m. ET Saturday).
The U.S. plane, which contains classified electroniceavesdropping equipment, makes an emergency landing on thesouthern Chinese island of Hainan without permission.
China and the U.S. blame each other for theincident, in which the Chinese jet was downed and its pilot wentmissing.
April 2
Bush says he is "troubled" by the Chinese government'sinaction. He demands access to the crew and the plane's return "without any further tampering."
A U.S. defense official says three warships are remainingin the area to "monitor the situation." They later move on. April 3U.S. ambassador to China says Chinese have been "allover" the top-secret spy plane. One U.S. official sayssatellite images show the Chinese tinkering with the craft.
U.S. diplomats obtain first direct contact with plane'screw and find the 21 men and three women in good health.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin says United States must"bear full responsibility" for the midair tangle. Asking for an apology, he also calls on Bush to halt all spy flights near China's coast.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the UnitedStates has "nothing to apologize for" and refers to the crew as "detained."
Bush tells reporters it is time for the crew and plane tocome home. He says the accident has "the potential ofundermining our hopes for a fruitful and productiverelationship between our two countries."
April 4Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan berates the United States for "arrogance" and "repeated errors."
U.S. defense officials say the surveillance plane crewdestroyed all sensitive reconnaissance data on board before the craft was taken over by the Chinese military.
Jiang, leaving for a visit to six South Americancountries, repeats his call for an American apology. The United States spurns the demand.
Powell expresses regret over the loss of the Chinesepilot and reinforces the gesture with a letter. The White House says it is up to China to avert an international incident.
China's ambassador to the United States says thesurveillance plane is not sovereign U.S. territory and willstay in China pending an investigation.
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