US Ambassador to China Joseph Prueher Thursday struck a postive note on the crisis over the detained US spy plane and suggested progress in negotiations with the Chinese side.

"Things are looking good," a smiling Prueher told reporters in response to an avalanche of questions as he drove into the US embassy.

The ambassador's brief remark is the most positive comment by the US side five days after a US Navy spy plane bumped with a Chinese chasing fighter jet, causing the jet to crash, and the pilot still missing.

Prueher later drove out of the embassy complex on his way to a meeting with Assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong at 2:00 pm (GMT 6:00).

US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday expressed "regret" over the loss of a Chinese fighter pilot who parachuted into the sea after his jet collided with the US plane.

(China Daily 04/05/2001)