[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5412]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           CHINA IS AT FAULT

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, China's President should apologize to the 
United States for its aggression in the accident with one of our 
airplanes over international waters. This is not the first time Chinese 
Air Force fighter pilots have recklessly and aggressively flown by our 
slower-moving planes over international waters well outside of China's 
boundaries to harass our Air Force planes. They have done this 
repeatedly and have been warned of the danger. Unfortunately, this 
time, the Chinese fighter caused an accident.
  This reckless aggression, the forced landing of our disabled plane, 
and now the holding of our crew and plane as hostages, and now China's 
belligerence is outrageous. It violates international agreements that 
China has signed; it damages U.S.-China relations.
  President Bush should stand firm and strong and demand an apology 
from the dictators in Beijing, the immediate return of the American 
crew and plane. China is at fault on this one.

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