Text: Senator Thomas on Detained U.S. Reconnaissance Aircraft
(Urges support for his resolution, S. Res. 66)China, by its prolonged detention of the crew of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft that still sits on a tarmac on Hainan Island, has put a chill on U.S.-Chinese relations according to Senator Craig Thomas (Republican of Wyoming).
In an April 23 speech to the Senate, Thomas criticized the Chinese government's actions following the April 1 collision between a U.S. Navy reconnaissance airplane and a Chinese fighter plane that resulted in an emergency landing by the U.S. aircraft on Hainan Island and the loss of the Chinese fighter plane pilot.
Thomas made the speech in support of Senate Resolution 66 (S. Res. 66), which both expresses U.S. regret over the losses resulting from the collision as well as calls on the Chinese government to release the U.S. crew, aircraft, and aircraft equipment.
"It would truly be a shame if, at the beginning of a new Administration, an Administration that has not even had a chance yet to formulate or articulate its China policy, this situation poisoned the well," said Thomas, the chairman of the Senate's East Asian and Pacific Affairs subcommittee.
Recalling Beijing's refusal of U.S. requests to meet with the air crew until April 3, he termed the communist regime's behavior "disturbing" in purposefully withholding contact with the aircrew and said he was "concerned" about the Beijing regime's "contravention of international norms."
International law, Thomas said, "recognizes both the right of the crew of an aircraft in distress to land safely on foreign soil and the inviolable sovereignty of an aircraft in distress that has landed on foreign soil."
International law, he added, also recognizes "the right of a nation which has had an aircraft land in distress on foreign soil to have its citizens and aircraft returned safely and without undue delay."
The Beijing regime's "flaunting" of those conventions of international law, he said, "disturbs me not just because of the ramifications in this particular case, but also because it has the capability of wreaking greater havoc on the overall bilateral US-PRC relationship."
The warning about the effect on the bilateral relationship is significant in that Thomas is a supporter of increased trade with China, who on his official Senate web-site says he seeks to help formulate "a China policy with an emphasis on a peaceful, productive relationship that includes fair trade and the exportation of Wyoming's resources."
If the matter is not resolved "immediately and satisfactorily," Thomas said, "then the Congress needs to rethink whether Beijing can be trusted to fulfill its obligations as a member of the (World Trade Organization)."
He noted that among the resolution's backers are Senator Max Baucus (Democrat of Montana), one of the leaders in the effort to pass legislation granting China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status in the 106th Congress, and Senator Joe Biden (Democrat of Delaware), the ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and another strong backer of PNTR.
Following is the text of the speech:
(begin text)
MILITARY PERSONNEL DETAINED BY THE PRC
Senate
April 23, 2001Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I rise today as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to speak to S. Res. 66.
As we are all now aware, at 9:15 a.m. local time on April 1, 2001, a collision occurred between a United States military EP-3E Aries II reconnaissance aircraft flying off the coast of the People's Republic of China, PRC and one of two F-8 jet fighters from the People's Liberation Army-Air Force sent to intercept it. Both countries agree that the collision occurred in international airspace over the South China Sea near the Chinese island province of Hainan. Due to the damage incurred in the accidental collision, the F-8 and its pilot were lost at sea and the EP-3E was required to make a ``Mayday'' distress call on the internationally recognized emergency radio frequency.
In fact, the damage to our plane was so bad that it effectuated an emergency landing at a military airbase at Lingshui, Hainan. Upon landing, the twenty-four United States military personnel aboard the EP-3E were removed from the aircraft by Chinese military personnel and detained in an undisclosed location, notwithstanding the fact that the crew of an aircraft forced to land on foreign soil in an emergency is considered under international norms to have sovereign immunity.
Chinese authorities then unnecessarily prevented United States military and consular officials from meeting with the crew members until April 3, 2001, and even then permitted only a short, supervised visit. There is absolutely no reason why we should not have been allowed at the very least telephone access to our military people. China is not a technologically backward country without phone service; our people are not being held in some isolated mountain village in the middle of a jungle. China's behavior in this case in purposefully keeping us from contacting the aircrew is, to me, disturbing.
In addition, I am also concerned that in contravention of international norms, Chinese officials have boarded the aircraft and have apparently removed portions of the equipment from it. International law recognizes both the right of the crew of an aircraft in distress to land safely on foreign soil and the inviolable sovereignty of an aircraft in distress that has landed on foreign soil; it also recognizes the right of a nation which has had an aircraft land in distress on foreign soil to have its citizens and aircraft returned safely and without undue delay.
China's flaunting of these conventions disturbs me not just because of the ramifications in this particular case, but also because it has the capability of wreaking greater havoc on the overall bilateral US-PRC relationship, a relationship I believe to be our most important in Asia along with Japan and South Korea. The Chinese government needs to realize that this issue is bigger than just this crew and this plane. This is about trust, about whether the PRC can be trusted to live up to its word, to live up to international agreements which it has signed, and to be a part of the world community of nations. So far, they have turned their backs on those agreements, and on their obligations. They have shown me, and other Members of Congress, that whether they can be trusted is presently open to question.
If this matter is not resolved immediately and satisfactorily, then the Congress needs to rethink whether Beijing can be trusted to fulfill its obligations as a member of the WTO. And while I have previously stated that I believe it would be a mistake to include such materiel as Aegis-equipped destroyers in this year's weapons sales to Taiwan, if Beijing remains intransigent and continues to violate norms of decent international behavior in this case, then I--for one--will begin to reassess whether Taiwan is not justified in its mistrust of the PRC and whether such sales might not now be justified. It would truly be a shame if, at the beginning of a new Administration, an Administration that has not even had a chance yet to formulate or articulate its China policy, this situation poisoned the well.
The resolution is simple. It expresses our regret over the damage to the aircraft and the loss of life resulting from the collision. It calls on the Chinese government to release the crew, who are, of course, utmost in our thoughts and concern; the aircraft, and the equipment from the aircraft. Finally, it supports President Bush in his efforts. I am pleased that the resolution has a bipartisan list of seventy-five cosponsors, including the ranking member of the East Asia Subcommittee [Mr. KERRY]; the very distinguished President pro tempore [Mr. THURMOND]; the distinguished chairman of the Armed Services Committee [Mr. WARNER]; the Chairman of the Energy Committee [Mr. MURKOWSKI]; three members and the ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: the distinguished Senator from Indiana [Mr. LUGAR], Mr. SMITH of Oregon and Mr. BROWNBACK, and Senator BIDEN; two Senators who I consider among the most knowledgeable on China in the Senate, Senator FEINSTEIN and Senator BAUCUS; and one of our newest members, Senator CLINTON.
I hope that we will act to put the Senate on record on this issue. (end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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