| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
April 6, 2001
ROCKEFELLER CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF 24-MEMBER U.S. MILITARY CREW BEING HELD IN CHINA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Addressing the most important foreign policy priority currently facing the United States, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) asserted his strong support today for a bipartisan Senate resolution calling for the immediate release of 24 U.S. military personnel who are being detained on Hainan Island, China. The resolution, which Senator Rockefeller cosponsored, also demands the release of the crew’s EP-3E aircraft that had collided with a Chinese fighter plane over international waters during a routine mission.
"Despite the serious damage to the EP-3E aircraft, the American crew managed to land the plane at a Chinese airstrip with no casualties. These are true American heroes, performing arduous missions in remote locations with remarkable skill, to protect our liberty," Rockefeller said. "We will not rest until we have been able to give them the heroes welcome they deserve."
On behalf of the Senate, Rockefeller echoed President Bush’s expression of regret over the apparent death of the Chinese pilot in the incident, and confirmed, "China is a large and powerful country, and it serves the United States’ interests to have a constructive relationship with China."
However, Rockefeller emphasized the seriousness of this situation, and the threat that the Chinese actions pose to U.S.-China relations. "China’s behavior in this incident has been very troubling, and grows more troubling with each passing day," he said. "If China persists in detaining our crew and aircraft, in violation of international law and practice, it will send a strong signal to the United States, and to our allies in Asia, that China is not interested in having a constructive relationship with the United States and other law-abiding nations."
Rockefeller indicated that, should China continue to hold the American crew and plane, the Senate may be forced to press for a reassessment of ties with the nation. In that case, he said, "There will be strong bipartisan support here in the Senate for the President to take the necessary measures to adjust U.S. policies toward China."
E-mail Senator Rockefeller | Click here for more contact information.