5 - 11 April 2001
Issue No.528
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 5 - 11 April 2001 Issue No.528 |
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Cat and mouse
TAKING strained US-China relations to a new level, Chinese authorities shocked US defence officials on Monday by boarding a damaged Navy reconnaissance plane and taking the 24-member crew into custody. Dumbfounded US officials scrambled to gain the upper hand in the incident with admonitions that China's handling of the situation had breached all standards of international law. But it was painfully evident that the real concern was China's now unfettered access to the highly developed electronic surveillance equipment the plane is equipped with -- or, worse, a clue into the kind of information the US seeks to gather in its routine flights near Chinese airspace. A palpably irked US President Bush issued stern warnings to allow American diplomats to speak with the crew, but kept his language guarded, recognising the delicate state of affairs.The EP-3 Aries, one of the US's most sophisticated spy planes, was intercepted by two Chinese fighter jets on Sunday morning over what the US military claims were international waters. Chinese authorities allege that the EP-3 suddenly turned on the planes and caused a crash, but Navy officials claim the mid-air tussle was most likely unintentional on both sides. The EP-3 sent out a "mayday" signal and was forced to land on the Chinese island of Hainan. China says that their fighter jet crashed, but refused numerous offers from the US to aid in the search for the missing pilot. The US Navy, regionally based in Okinawa, Japan, has complained recently of the increasing aggressiveness of Chinese planes, but even US diplomats in Beijing were unprepared for the standoff that has ensued from the incident.
Forces collide
CHINA had it hands full this week, with the downing of the US spy plane coinciding with the arrival of the exiled Dalai Lama in Taiwan on Saturday -- the second trip by the Tibetan spiritual leader since 1997. China, which considers both Taiwan and Tibet breakaway provinces, accused the Nobel Prize laureate of fomenting dissident movements in Taipei and resents the cosy relations between the Dalai Lama and Taiwanese Vice President and pro-independence leader Annette Lu. The Dalai Lama has repeatedly expressed that his trip is not political, but he will meet with Taiwanese President Chen Shui-ban before leaving on 9 April. An enthused Vice President Lu -- dismissed by Beijing as a dangerous radical -- drew dramatic parallels between Taiwan and Tibet and the Dalai Lama was greeted by numerous supporters and some pro-reunification protesters, who rejected his trip as a popularity stunt. Tens of thousands of people turned out to hear the lively Buddhist leader speak on Sunday, but though he spoke eloquently on happiness being centred in the heart, and not in physical comfort, he nonetheless has comfortable accommodation at a posh Taipei hotel.
Deadly faith
SPIRITUAL exultation turned to mindless violence during the annual urs festival in Pak Patten, Pakistan, during the ritual opening of the Behashti Darwaza (Paradise Gate) at the shrine of Muslim saint Baba Farideddin Ganj Shakar on Saturday. More than 40 people died and more than 100 worshippers were injured as pilgrims rushed the door just before midnight, trampling those who fell down.
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