US calls talks with China over plane `very productive'

After a disastrous start, China-US talks on the spy plane row ended on a positive note yesterday with the US side calling them "very productive."

The chief US negotiator said China had finally allowed discussion of Washington's demand for the return of its top-secret US$80 million EP-3 surveillance plane stranded on Hainan Island since making an emergency landing there on April 1 following a collision with a Chinese F-8 fighter.

Beijing's initial refusal to discuss the issue almost scuttled the talks after the first day on Wednesday.

"We covered all the items on the agenda and I found today's session to be very productive," Acting Defense Undersecretary for Policy Peter Verga said.

The breakthrough came after a visit to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by US Ambassador Joseph Prueher, accompanied by Defense Attache Brigadier-General Neal Sealock.

But it was not clear what progress was made on resolving the fate of the crippled plane.

China offered no immediate comment on the talks, but Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue (章啟月) indicated there would be a second round.

"The two sides agreed to continue discussions and stay in touch and finalize the future meeting through diplomatic channels," she told a news conference.

Washington wants the quick return of its plane, while China demands an end to US spy flights near the Chinese coast, which it sees as an affront to its national sovereignty.

Beijing also wants the US to admit responsibility for the collision that resulted in the death of the Chinese F-8 pilot, Wang Wei (王偉), who bailed out as his plane crashed into the South China Sea.