Tension between Beijing and Washington over the US spy plane collision resurfaced yesterday with President Jiang Zemin again demanding that the US halt all surveillance flights off the south coast of China.
The President's call came as senior US officials left Beijing after two days of talks, with no climbdown by either side and no agreement on the handing back of the US EP 3 aircaft stranded on Hainan Island.
Speaking yesterday after a meeting with the widow and six-year-old son of Wang Wei, the pilot of the Chinese fighter jet, killed in the collision on April 1st, Mr Jiang said the US should bear full responsibility for the incident.
"The only way to prevent a future occurrence of such an incident is for the United States to stop sending surveillance over China's coastal waters," he said.
During his meeting with the pilot's widow and extended family, Mr Jiang said Chinese people would always remember Wang Wei's heroic deeds. He had sacrificed his life to safeguard China's national sovereignty and security. He called on the Chinese people to use patriotic enthusiasm to make the country strong.
The head of the US negotiating team, Acting Under-Secretary of Defence for Policy Mr Peter Vegra said before leaving Beijing yesterday that no date had been set for further talks.
"There's nothing currently scheduled. We expect to hear back from the Chinese government," he said.
While the talks on Wednesday and Thursday produced no agreement on US demands for the return of the aircraft and no agreement by the US to halt its surveillance flights, both sides described them as positive.
Immediately after the meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry produced an animated graphic that showed the US aircraft veering into the Chinese plane. It also showed video footage of what it described as dangerous flying by US aircraft intercepting Chinese planes last year.
Strained relations between the two countries will be tested even further by the US decision on arms sales to Taiwan expected next week. Yesterday, Taiwan's military forces began their annual war games to practise repelling a Chinese invasion.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington predicted a "devastating impact" on relations if the US decided to sell advanced weapons to Taiwan this month.
Taiwan's Han Kuang (Chinese Glory) exercises this year involve 3,380 troops. Two F 5E fighters armed with Taiwan made missiles, and Cobra helicopters carrying US-made Hell fire missiles attacked floating targets in the Taiwan Strait.
Meanwhile, the detention in China of another US citizen of Chinese origin on spying charges has also added to strains between the two countries. The US has expressed concern about Mr Wu Jianmin, who was detained earlier this month in the southern city of Guangzhou on suspicion of spying for Taiwan.
A Hong Kong-based human rights group said Mr Wu was suspected of contributing to the Tiananmen Papers, a book purporting to reveal internal debates that led to the fatal crackdown in June 1989.
China is holding another US citizen and two Chinese citizens resident in the United States.
Japan yesterday issued a visa to former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui "for humanitarian reasons". China reacted quickly by lodging a "strong protest" with Japan. Later Washington said it had also issued a visa to Mr Lee.