US and China work on formula to end spy plane dispute

US and Chinese diplomats worked on a formula to secure the release of 24 military personnel held in China this evening as the…

US and Chinese diplomats worked on a formula to secure the release of 24 military personnel held in China this evening as the White House voiced hope the Americans would be returned soon and safely.

The US EP-3E

A renewed demand by China that the United States apologize for the collision between a Navy reconnaissance plane and a Chinese jet fighter over the South China Sea drew a tactful rebuff in Washington.

In a letter to US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell released today, Chinese Vice Premier Mr Qian Qichen said Beijing was dissatisfied with President George W Bush's expression of regret for the apparent loss of the Chinese pilot's life, adding an apology was of the utmost importance in resolving the standoff over the spy plane and its crew.

US diplomatic officials confirmed the crew were treated well and in good spirits.

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US defence attache Brigadier General Neal Sealock said: "I was able to validate once again, their treatment, their spirits, their wellness", after he and other U.S. diplomats visited the crew for one hour.

Meanwhile White House National Security Council spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman has reiterated the Bush administration's regrets over the missing Chinese pilot and said the US position was unchanged.

She declined to reject Mr Qian's demand for an apology publicly or revisit the administration's stance on an apology, calling the letter private diplomatic correspondence. "Efforts to resolve the standoff were still at a sensitive point", she added.

Earlier this week, Mr Powell said the United States had nothing to apologize for.

Senior administration officials said the two sides were negotiating the text of a joint letter that would express regret for the loss of the Chinese fighter pilot and set up a mechanism for the two sides to exchange their views on the incident, but would not include a US apology.

Drafts of the document would be exchanged in the hope that both President Bush and Chinese President Jiang Zemin would approve of a final version, the officials said.