Chinese fighter pilots have dropped close-quarters harassment of US surveillance flights following the diplomatic crisis which erupted over a collision involving a spy aircraft, the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, said yesterday.
"So far, since we resumed reconnaissance flights we haven't seen anything like the kinds of things we have been seeing before," Mr Powell, on an Asia-Pacific tour, said.
Washington accused Chinese pilots of endangering its flights over international waters after a US E-P3 surveillance aircraft and a Chinese fighter collided over the South China Sea in April. China held the aircraft's crew for 11 days after it made an emergency landing on Hainan Island in an incident which severely strained Sino-US relations. The Chinese pilot was killed in the collision.
Mr Powell expressed confidence after meeting all Chinese leaders including President Jiang Zemin during a visit to Beijing on Saturday that the incident was finally dealt with.
The US had held discussions with China, and suggested "you know, let's use proper rules when we are up there", he said. "Don't put these 20-year-olds in a position where something can happen," Mr Powell said, referring to alleged gung-ho young Chinese pilots, blamed by the US for causing the collision.
"These are young people and they are good, but let's not press the envelope that way again," said Mr Powell who is on his way to Australia. China rejected US claims that its aircraft caused the April 1st collision, once saying that the US aircraft swerved into the Chinese jet. Beijing freed the US crew only when Washington said it was "very sorry" for the loss of the Chinese pilot and for making a landing without permission. The US has refused to apologise for the crash, claiming it was not in Chinese airspace.
Mr Powell, the most senior official from President Bush's administration to visit China so far, left with agreements from Beijing to renew a human rights dialogue and to set up an experts' committee to discuss US fears over China's missile technology exports.