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| Confucius Says Bite Your Tongue
by John M. Curtis Copyright April 6, 2001
Showing little contrition, “Our airplanes are operating in international airspace and the United States did nothing wrong . . .There’s nothing to apologize for,” said White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, pushing the Chinese’s backs to the wall. Without considering the best negotiating strategy or plight of the crew, tempers flared. Adding insult to injury, Rep. Thomas G. Tancredo (R-Colo.) chimed in, “I’ve got an apology for them: I’m sorry we ever passed the PNTR [Permanent Normal Trade Relations], and I’ll do my best to take it back.” Taking sides and making objectionable statements doesn’t help intense diplomatic efforts underway to win the release of EP-3E crew. Without apologizing, showing better restraint and sensitivity goes a long way in defusing volatile situations. “They’ve got a dead pilot right off their coast . . . I don’t see anything unrestrained, irrational or aggressive for the Chinese side at all,” said Edward Friedman, a China expert at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, reacting to President Zemin’s demand for a formal apology. Demanding the release of detainees and threatening repercussions is not the most persuasive bargaining tool. “Failure of the Chinese government to react promptly to our request is inconsistent with standard diplomatic practice and with the expressed desire of both our countries for better relations,” said President Bush, showing some impatience over Chinese recalcitrance. Flashing some frustration, “It is inexplicable and unacceptable . . . that the air crew has been held incommunicado over 32 hours,” said U.S. ambassador to China Joseph W. Prueher, before the Chinese finally permitted embassy officials to visit the crew. Losing his cool, “The PRC [Peoples Republic of China] does not have a sound legal basis for detaining our people. Our aircraft itself also enjoys sovereign immune status,” said Prueher, lecturing the Chinese about international law. Diplomats or other key U.S. personnel can’t afford to antagonize the situation with heated rhetoric. Toning down the war of words usually relaxes the situation enabling diplomats to work quietly behind the scenes. Unlike Baghdad, Beijing is not going to knuckle under to U.S. pressure. In fact, the Chinese are using the spy plane mishap to grandstand on the world stage. “The Chinese side is the one that was victimized,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhu Bangzao, demanding a full apology for causing the accident. Casting blame and refusing to apologize, the U.S. went out of its way to antagonize Chinese officials, making face-saving more difficult and pushing an immediate solution out of reach. Even Secretary General Kofi Annan, back in 1991, had to suck it up when he told Saddam Hussein that he took the U.S.’s best shot, and it was time to mercifully end the Gulf War. With the Chinese holding the cards, pointing fingers, expressing public outrage and raising the rhetoric does little to free our enlisted personnel. Showing restraint isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a strategic move calculated to yield results. Without apologizing—recognizing that saber-rattling was getting nowhere—Secretary of State Colin Powell took a different tact. Stepping up to the plate, “We regret that loss of life of that Chinese pilot, but now we need to move on,” Powell said, trying to break the ice and placate Chinese officials. Washington “has displayed an arrogant air, used lame arguments, confounded right and wrong and made groundless accusations about China,” remarked Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, clearly mirroring Chinese sentiments. While not apologizing, Powell’s comments set a different tone by showing sensitivity to Chinese concerns. He correctly recognized that the Chinese—or others for that matter—respond better to honey than vinegar. Following suit, “I regret that the Chinese pilot is missing, and I regret that one of their airplanes is lost . . . Our prayers go out to the pilot, his family,” said President Bush, switching gears and lending hope that a diplomatic solution was getting closer. Though the White House insists that no formal apology will be made, steps are being made to accommodate Chinese demands for an admission of guilt, formal apology, compensation for the downed jet and missing pilot, and agreement about continued reconnaissance flights near China’s border. Constructing acceptable wording to meet Chinese demands doesn’t sell out the United States or compromise national security. It finesses a delicate situation to assure a safe return of military hardware and personnel. “The difficulty is that not all these issues are likely to be resolved in a way that China would find acceptable,” said Sen. Richard G. Lugar (Rep.-Ind.), a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sounding unduly pessimistic. Good diplomacy requires control over the mouths of well-intentioned officials, no matter how hard it is to bite their tongues. With China holding the cards, the U.S. must finesse its way out of the current situation. Freeing the 24-member crew should be the highest priority. Painful as it seems, restraint is the better part of valor, especially when it meets the current objective. It’s time to reign in counterproductive rhetoric and display political correctness. Setting the right tone, Colin Powell began the mature process of swallowing national pride, and letting diplomats find the ticket home for all 24 military personnel held against their will. At this delicate stage, the U.S. must find the right formula to satisfy Chinese bravado, now that it’s abundantly clear that they’re flexing their muscles and milking the propaganda to the hilt. Saying all the right things today will enable the U.S. to regain eventual control. More tough talk does little to resolve the crisis. Once the crew is safely home, it’s time to take a searching inventory. About the Author John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He’s director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He’s the author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma. |
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ncendiary rhetoric and finger pointing won’t help the fate of the 24-member crew of the EP-3 surveillance plane now in Chinese custody on the tropical province of Hainan. Plummeting 8,000 ft. and forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with a Chinese F-8 fighter jet, the patrol plane managed to land without injuries on Linsui airstrip. Plunging into the South China Sea, the Chinese F-8 pilot wasn’t so lucky. Since landing April 1, the entire crew has been detained by Chinese authorities. But within hours after the early morning midair collision some 65 miles southeast of Hainan island, the barbs were flying over the airwaves. “It’s pretty obvious who bumped into whom. I’m going on common sense now because I haven’t talked to our crew,” said Adm. Dennis Blair, chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, blaming the Chinese pilot for causing the accident. Reacting defensively, the U.S. “should face the facts squarely, shoulder responsibility and apologize to the Chinese side,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao. President Jiang Zemin, en route to Latin America, insisted on a formal apology to resolve the stalemate.|
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