The increasing aggressiveness of the Chinese interceptors reflects the PLA's embarrassment over its inability to either respond in kind, or at least drive away the US planes. The government's refusal to admit that their pilot was in any way to blame for the Hainan incident is also illustrative of yet another way in which the American and Chinese views differ.
Although the accident was clearly the result of the PLA planes flying recklessly close to the much larger and slower American plane while it was in international airspace, the Chinese leadership feels perfectly justified in calling for a US apology. They steadfastly refuse to acknowledge that the tragedy stemmed from a reckless and illegal interception in international airspace, and instead demand that the US provide both an apology and compensation.
To the Americans, this stand flies in the face of both the facts and the law, but to the Chinese people it makes perfect sense.
In China -- and Taiwan as well -- if someone is killed in a collision resulting from their own criminal action, negligence, or simple stupidity, society still expects the surviving party to pay compensation -- especially if the surviving party is richer than the victim. This view has nothing to do with who was in the right: if there is a perception of unequal loss, then the better-off party is expected to pay up, regardless of who was at fault.
This downplaying of responsibility in favor of "human feeling" is a characteristic of Chinese culture, and it is clearly a major factor in the current crisis. The PRC and the Chinese people see themselves as the victims, simply because they lost a plane and pilot, and they do not understand why the US insists on apportioning blame.
The US is richer, and its plane and crew are safe, so according to Chinese norms Washington should apologize, and Beijing will feel perfectly justified in holding onto both the plane and the crew until the Americans do so.
Bonnie Hsieh is a freelance writer based in Taipei.
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