Talks between China and the US on the spy plane row ended on a positive note yesterday with agreement to hold a second round of discussions in the future.
The talks - which opened on Wednesday - ended with America describing them as "very productive" and China saying both sides had agreed to continue discussions through diplomatic channels.
However, while the chief US negotiator said China had allowed discussion of Washington's demand for the return of its $80 million EP-3 surveillance plane stranded on Hainan Island since making an emergency landing there on April 1st, it is understood no agreement was reached on its handover.
When the talks opened on Wednesday, Beijing's refused to even discuss the issue, threatening the talks. The first day of talks ended negatively with the Americans saying they saw no point in continuing unless Beijing was prepared to engage in a more "productive" discussion.
The matter was only put on the agenda yesterday after a visit to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by the US ambassador, Mr Joseph Prueher.
The acting US Defence Undersecretary for Policy, Mr Peter Vegra, said after yesterday's talks finished that all the items on the agenda were covered. "I found today's session to be very productive," he said.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Ms Zhang Qiyue, said there would be a second round. "The two sides agreed to continue discussions and stay in touch and finalise the future meeting through diplomatic channels," she told a news conference.
China is demanding an end to US spy flights off the South China Coast and the US wants the return of its plane. Beijing also wants the United States to admit responsibility for the collision that resulted in the death of the Chinese F-8 pilot, Wang Wei, who bailed out as his plane crashed into the South China Sea.
Meanwhile China yesterday welcomed its success in blocking an UN commission vote in Geneva on a US resolution criticising its human rights record.
Using a procedure to prevent the resolution from coming to a vote, China Has managed to avoid examination of its human rights record virtually every year since the Tiananmen Square killings in June 1989.
A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said yesterday that although the United States canvassed for support, it had found no country to co-sponsor the anti-China motion.
"Once again the United States fell into a predicament of self-isolation and its failure has long been expected," she said.