The Hainan Island incident was the April 1, 2001 collision between a United States Navy EP-3E spy-plane and a People's Liberation Army Navy J-8IIM fighter jet that resulted in an international incident between the United States and China.
The EP-3E, assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) had been operating about 70 miles (110 km) away from the Chinese island of Hainan, when the craft was intercepted by two J-8IIM fighters. EP-3s are highly sophisticated spy-planes that can pick up information while operating in international waters. This was probably what prompted the Chinese government to send two J-8s to investigate its actions. A collision resulted between the wing of the EP-3E and one of the J-8s, which caused the death of the J-8's pilot, Wang Wei, while the EP-3E was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan.
The international status of the incident's location is a large source of controversy; the Chinese claimed it as part of their "air territory" where the US claimed it was "international airspace" as per UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The dispute is also mired in controversy of the EP-3's earlier overflight of various South China Sea islands which are claimed by China. To date no official resolution on the territorial status has been settled by China, the US, or the UN.
In the air
At about 09:15 local time, toward the end of the EP-3's six hour mission, two Chinese J-8's approached the EP-3, about 70 miles (110 km) away from the Chinese island of Hainan. One of the J-8, Wang's fighter, collided with the [[surveillance aircraft]. The J-8 was cut in half, while the nosecone and a propeller of the EP-3 were severely damaged.
Wang ejected after the collision, but was never found and declared dead. Meanwhile, the EP-3E made an emergency landing without authorization at the Chinese military airfield in Hainan.
Cause of collision
The cause of the collision and the assignment of blame is a matter of dispute. The American government claimed that one of the Chinese jets bumped the wing of the EP-3E, while the Chinese government claimed that it was the American plane that swerved into the flight path and rammed the J-8. None of the information in the black boxes of either plane, both held by the Chinese government, was made public, so the matter is still disputed.
On the ground
After landing, the U.S. aircraft crew proceeded to destroy sensitive equipment onboard the aircraft such as listening devices, as per U.S. Navy protocol. After completing these procedures, they disembarked from the plane. Kept under armed guard as per international rules permit when a foreign plane intrudes upon a sovereign country's territory, they were taken to a Chinese military barracks where they were interrogated. By the available information, the U.S. crew was well-treated by the Chinese government while on Hainan.
Three United States diplomats were immediately sent to Hainan island to negotiate their release. The Chinese also permitted the American diplomats to meet with the EP-3E crew, which they did not have to allow. Their first opportunity to meet with the crew came the day after they landed, and they met with them three more times after that.
The crew of 24 was detained until April 11, shortly after the U.S. issued the "letter of the two sorries" to the Chinese.
Letter of the two sorries
The "Letter of the two sorries" was the letter delivered by the United States Ambassador Joseph Prueher to Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan of the People's Republic of China to defuse the Hainan Island incident in April 2001. Upon the collision between the U.S. surveillance aircraft and the Chinese fighter aircraft, the U.S. plane made an emergency landing on Chinese territory, while the Chinese fighter pilot and his plane were lost. The delivery of the letter led to the release of the U.S. crew from Chinese custody, as well as the return of the disassembled plane.
The letter stated that the United States was "very sorry" for the death of Chinese pilot Wang Wei, and also apologized for entering Chinese airspace and performing the emergency landing without authorization.
The letter itself was written in English; an official translation into Chinese was not offered by the U.S. government.
Aftermath
The crew returned to the United States via Hawaii after their release on April 11. The plane was not returned to U.S. custody until July 3. The Chinese military did board the plane but it is not known if it retrieved any sensitive information, or how effective the crew's destruction of the onboard technology was. Killed J-8 pilot Wang Wei was hailed as a hero in the People's Republic of China, while the EP-3's pilot was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism.
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