The IAC, as a leading organization in the U.S. anti-war movement, calls on that movement to be on the alert for further dangerous U.S. moves against China and be prepared to raise its voice in protest against them.

Instead of offering an immediate apology for spying in Chinese coastal waters and most likely causing the death of a Chinese pilot and the loss of a Chinese jet, the U.S. government has gone on the offensive. The Bush administration has demanded the unconditional release of the spies and the equipment.

This plane was flying 7,000 miles off the coast of the continental United States when it collided with a Chinese jet. What would be the response to a Chinese spy plane conducting electronic surveillance and reconnaissance off the coast of Long Island or Virginia? Washington allows no country to conduct such flights off the U.S. coast. But the Pentagon regularly conducts such spy missions against other countries.

The People's Republic of China has every right to protect its borders under those circumstances. The U.S. government says the Chinese cannot board the spy plane, which it considers U.S. territory. Yet when a Cuban defector flew an advanced MiG plane to Florida, even though it was not engaged in spying, U.S. specialists disassembled the plane.

This latest incident is no isolated event, but is part of a chain of growing U.S. open hostility toward China. It must be viewed in light of U.S. threats to arm the Taiwan regime with a new generation of high-tech weapons, in violation of past agreements with China.

Another link in this chain was the attempt to make a scapegoat of the Chinese-American scientist, Wen Ho Lee, for alleged spying on behalf of Peoples China. Another was the calculated U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia. Another is the constant maneuvers of the U.S. 7th Fleet of aircraft carriers, jet bombers and destroyers in the Straits of Taiwan.

All these aggressive acts feed into the Pentagon campaign to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to build a so-called Missile Defense Shield. Most governments recognize the MDS as being not a defensive weapon at all.

They oppose it as a highly threatening military escalation. It is an enormously expensive program built to allow a nuclear first-strike, which will only benefit the corporate merchants of death.

Since the victory of the Chinese revolution in 1949 U.S. governments have varied their strategy with regard to China.

Sometimes they used open military hostility, but for the past period they focused on economic contacts. But these strategies were all aimed at trying to penetrate the Chinese economy and gain control of it.

Now this policy may be shifting back to military hostility in order to insure the super profits of the giant military contractors who benefit from the Missile Defense Shield and the new weapons for Taiwan.

A sign of possible change in this direction is the new U.S. ambassador to China, retired Admiral Joseph Prueher, a former U.S. commander in the Pacific. For the past 100 years the Navy has always been the U.S.'s "Big Stick" in the Pacific, imposing U.S. power up and down the coast of Asia. The IAC calls on the anti-war movement in the U.S. to mobilize to demand that the Pentagon end its spy flights in the Pacific, that Washington apologize for the death of the Chinese pilot and send no new weapons to Taiwan.

International Action Center

39 West 14th Street, Room 206

New York, NY 10011

email: iacenter@iacenter.org

I want to see the power of chinese people around this world protest this behavior. I know that the US afraid our country's potential in every aspect and tried to do everything to hurt us.

If the US is the world police why don't they involve in Indonesia crisis races or religious war always happened and the government never do any thing why the US goverment solve give them a hand but always blame Chinese government about human right????

Everybody know that the US goverment is like a mad dog!!!!! All of us should try to do something to protest the US government.

China should win the hearts and minds of the American people and isolate them from the Bush's Imperialist policy. You can do this by treating the spying plane's crew well, allowing them to receive phones from their relatives. In this way you will also win the international public opinion. Second, don't do anything withiout the consent of these captured crew. The point is by treating them humanly you will win morally.

I'm an American citizen, born in Southern California 52 years ago. I'm also a Vietnam Veteran; so, I've seen the ravages of war, and I understand what a horrible price we all pay when we do not work together for the betterment of all. Fortunately for me, I never had to shoot another human being in the war, as I was assigned to driving trucks. But, I still witnessed the senseless loss of human life and the impact it has on those who are left behind.

Though I do not understand all of the circumstances surrounding the incident involving the US spy plane and the mid-air collision with the Chinese aircraft, I am profoundly saddened by the news that one of your pilots was killed. The resulting loss your pilot and the anguish of his family and the families of the US crew members are a sad reminder of the consequences of political, military and social tension.

I want you to know that I, as an American, wish only the best for the Chinese people. There is so much promise for us all if we accept our differences and work for the benefit of all.

Please accept my sincere regrets for the loss of your pilot. And, please consider my request that we all work toward a solution that improves our relationship, one that lessens the chance of this escalating or repeating.

We can allow this tragedy to serve as the basis for improved cooperation, or we can fall further down the slipery slope of confrontation. What a tribute to your pilot if we seize the opportunity to lessen tensions and work toward a better life for his family.

Pete Maddox

I do not know all the details about the American Plane collision with the Chinese Fighter. The only information I receive is through reporting agencies in the United States. But given what I have heard, I believe an apology by the United States government to the people of China should be forthcoming.

I deeply regret the loss of your Pilot. I am not particularly pleased that the United States feels the need to deny some accountability for the accident.

I love my country, the United States of America. However, and more importantly I respect the rights of all civilized nations of the world.

You are a great nation, capable of great things. You have my apology for what it is worth.

I understand the saber rattling and the arrogance that goes along with politics of the world. But that doesn't mean I agree with it.

Respectfully,

Gregory Strausbaugh

Our government is worried more about our aircraft and it's crew than in allowing we the average U S citizen to know that your pilot has been recovered and hopefully has survived this situation.

While our differing governments may disagree, there are many of us on both sides that are deeply concerned about the human cost of these disagreements. We are holding out hope that this young man is found swiftly and safely returned to his family and loved ones.

Best Regards,

An ordinary American

I fully supported President Jiang, and the PLA did well to protect their

people and interest. The US pilot should be put behind bar under the Chinese law.

It's a sure thing that China should launch protest again the United States for the intrusion, and China should without any hesitation take all the sensitive high-tech equipments and information for its own use. On the other hand, China should understand that the United States is a "human rights" country, and the U.S. media is stirring up the emotion of the U.S. people on China's long-time detention of the 24-crew member. While I don't think that China should release the crewmembers immediately, they should be treated very well and their condition should be communicated to the U.S. people through U.S. news medias, in order to relive the concerns of the crew's families and U.S. people in general.

That said, it seems unlikely that an agile, highly mobile fighter plane could not keep clear of a much larger and slower aircraft without some willful intent on the part of the fighter pilot and his ground control staff.

Brinkmanship on this scale, between two of the world's most important countries should not be the order of the day. This can, and should be an opportunity for China to gain credit with the other nations of the world by taking a wise and diplomatic approach to this incident. Return of the flight crews should be immediate. Return of the aircraft should also take place - as soon as it can be made airworthy. An investigation of the incident should be conducted by international aviation experts, so no doubt can linger as to responsibility, position and actions taken.

That sort of approach may not please either party very much, but that is the nature of being Canadian - finding a compromise that at least apportions the painful decision equally.

I would certainly appreciate further incites into this incident, and perhaps commentary on my submission.