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U.S., China Spy Plane Standoff

BRIT HUME, HOST: Welcome to Washington. I'm Brit Hume.

The Bush administration is still keeping its public statements mild in the stand-off with China over those captive Americans and their surveillance plane. But President Bush did add his voice to others in his high command who have warned China that serious damage to U.S.-China relations will result if the issue is not quickly resolved. Senior White House correspondent Jim Angle has the story.

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JIM ANGLE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush and other officials are stepping up warnings that China is about to cut off its own nose by dragging out the dispute and holding onto the crew.

GEORGE WALKER BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every day that goes by increases the potential that our relations with China could be damaged. And our hope is that this matter gets resolved quickly.

ANGLE: The administration believes it will take time to resolve the political struggle in the Chinese leadership over what to do. Some outside analysts don't see dissension as much as they do a desire to make the U.S. sweat a little more.

DOUG PAAL, ASIA-PACIFIC POLICY INSTITUTE: They need to make the United States appear to twist in the wind, to get some public satisfaction for their own people in making the United States squirm.

ANGLE: President Bush seems to recognize that but wanted to remind the Chinese that the clock is ticking and a backlash is building.

BUSH: All of us around this table understand diplomacy takes time. But there is a point -- the longer it goes, there's a point at which our relations with China could become damaged.

ANGLE: In fact, on everything from closer trade relations with China to weapons sales to Taiwan to support for China's bid to host the Olympics, members of Congress and the public are beginning to suggest the U.S. can play hardball, too.

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R-VA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN (April 8, 2001): Every day, every hour that goes by, I feel that Congress, as it exercises its judgment, is likely to be highly influenced by the conduct of China in the course of these events.

ANGLE: Meanwhile, American officials met with the detained crew for the fourth time and said they're living in a "hotel environment." President Bush shared the latest report on their wellbeing.

BUSH: ... their spirits are very high, that they're doing well, and that's good news.

ANGLE: On the diplomatic front, the intensive talks between the two nations continue as the U.S. searches for some word that is stronger than "regret" but far short of an apology.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: Diplomacy always is a search for words and agreements to resolve peacefully difficult, contentious matters. And that is the essence of diplomacy, and it is underway.

ANGLE: Chinese sources say the third version of a U.S. letter explaining its views of the incident was handed back to the U.S. ambassador in Beijing this morning. But American sources tell FOX that another version of the letter was given back to the Chinese later in the day. No one will say how much progress is being made. They'll only say there is some.

Brit?

HUME: Jim, let's talk about that other letter, the one that President Bush sent to the presumed widow of the -- of the -- of the downed Chinese flyer. This is a woman who had called him, in effect, a coward. What

ANGLE: Well, the letter has now been sent to Beijing. No one knows whether or not it has actually reached the widow. There were some harsh in...

HUME: You're talking about her letter?

ANGLE: Her letter to the president. There were some very harsh comments in there, accusing him of cowardice by not apologizing, but also some much nicer comments. The idea here is that he might be able to say something that, if publicized by the Chinese government -- and that would be a key question -- that would give you some sense of whether or not the Chinese are willing to back down on this thing, whether or not they're willing to quit vilifying the U.S.

Brit?

HUME: All right, Jim. We'll watch. Thanks very much.

The U.S. is reserving the right to continue surveillance flights in international airspace off the China coast and to continue to gather intelligence there by other means, as well. That, of course, raises the question of whether those flights have been discontinued for now, and if they have, how else we might be getting information. The latest on that from FOX NEWS national correspondent Steve Centanni at the Pentagon.

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STEVE CENTANNI, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sources tell FOX NEWS EP-3 surveillance missions have not been flown in the South China Sea since that midair collision April 1st. They also say those flights are always approved by the White House before they're launched. And while no administration official will publicly confirm the flights are on hold, they're quick to point out...

to give up the important reconnaissance work that we do around the world in international waters. It's an important part of our national security

CENTANNI: With one of our 11 EP-3s stuck on the ground in China and the diplomatic standoff continuing, some say the U.S. can't afford to wait much longer to resume those flights.

JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG: Air defense radars will be relocated. Command post radios might shift to new frequencies. So over time, the longer we go without flying these missions, the less trained our crews are going to be, and were going to start to lose track of some of China's military developments.

CENTANNI: U.S. officials deny reports the EP-3 was monitoring preparations for a small underground nuclear test in China. There have also been reports the plane was watching a Russian-built Sevremenny destroyer and its Sunburn missiles that could target U.S. aircraft carriers. But that, too, is being denied.

Whatever the EP-3s were tracking, ships, submarines and satellites are now filling in for them, and they have their drawbacks.

PIKE: One of the problems that you have with satellites is there are only a limited number of them. They're keeping track of an incredible number of targets worldwide.

CENTANNI: When EP-3 flights are resumed, there's been talk they might need a fighter escort, but that would mean operating an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea, which could further anger the Chinese. Right now, the U.S. aircraft carrier Kittyhawk is there, but it's only passing through.

CENTANNI: Now, the Kittyhawk and its destroyer escorts are heading home. Just last week, there were three other ships in the area, and they too headed home without stopping longer than a day or so. The Pentagon, the U.S. apparently, at this point, has no interest in maintaining a show of force in that region.

Brit?

HUME: Well, Steve, what about surveillance activities that may be conducted by the Chinese? Is there anything like that that they do to surveil or do reconnaissance on the U.S.?

CENTANNI: They do it to the extent they can. They don't do any patrolling along our shores because they can't get this far. They don't planes on their airbases. So they don't have that option. But when we quite as sophisticated as the EP-3, but they do what they can to eavesdrop on us when we're near enough to them. When we had some national missile defense testing out in the middle of the Pacific, they sent some ships out to keep an eye on us. So they do what they can to eavesdrop on us, but they aren't quite as effective as we are against them.

HUME: How about satellites?

CENTANNI: And they use spy satellites just as effectively as we do, too. They rely on that heavily. Right.

HUME: All right, Steve. Thanks very much.

CENTANNI: You bet.