On April 6, Mr. Yang Jiechi, Chinese Ambassador to the US forwarded a letter from Premier Qian Qichen to the US Deputy Secretary of State.

In his letter, Qian pointed out: the position of the Chinese Government on this incident is very clear. The US side should take up its responsibilities, provide convincing explanations to the Chinese people and start consultations with the Chinese side on how to prevent recurrence of similar incidents. China hates to see the bilateral relations damaged by this incident. It has therefore kept a cool head and exercised great restraint in handling this matter. Regrettably , the US statement on this incident so far is unacceptable to the Chinese side, and the Chinese people have found it most dissatisfying. Qian pointed out that it is essential for the US side to face up the facts squarely and adopt a positive and practical approach, apologize to the Chinese people. Then the two sides may move on to discuss matters concerning the US military plane and other remaining problems.

On April 4, US Secretary of State Powell send a letter to Vice Premier Qian. Powell expressed in his letter that we very much regret the pain this accident has caused. President Bush is very concerned about your missing pilot. His thoughts and prayers are with the pilot's family members and loved ones, as are mine and all Americans. He also mentioned in the letter that he want to work with Qian toward a productive and successful relationship and to putting this unfortunate accident behind them.