Careful language breaks Washington-Beijing impasse

Some of the crew are pictured in a photo obtained by CNN

HAIKOU, China (CNN) -- Careful semantics and the nuances of translation capped 11 days of intense negotiations that secured the release of 24 U.S. fliers detained in China.

In the end, with a letter signed by the U.S ambassador in Beijing, both China and the United States claimed they had what they wanted -- even if it appeared their positions had been mutually exclusive.

U.S. and Chinese officials offered contrasting descriptions of how far the United States went to express regret for the April 1 collision between a Chinese fighter plane and a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft that sparked the impasse.

TRANSCRIPTS Text of U.S. letter expressing 'sincere regret' Text of Bush's remarks    RESOURCES U.S.-China agreement: What's next? Overnight calls brought word of release deal    VIDEO Families of crew member show their emotions while talking about the news Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) A Chinese government official reads a statement announcing the decision Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) U.S. Ambassador to China Joseph Prueher praises the release Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Watch Bush's reaction to the announcement Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    AUDIO CNN's Mike Chinoy discusses how the Chinese media is reporting U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's comments 699K/64 sec. AIFF or WAV sound    IN-DEPTH U.S.-China Collision: A diplomatic solution  • About freighter returning EP-3  • Look: Inside the EP-3  • Facts about the EP-3  • Map: Locating the incident  • Big picture: High stakes  • Classroom discussion guide  • Historical US-China timeline  • Whidbey arrival images  • Crew speaks out  • Crew's return images    GALLERY Images of some of the U.S. detainees in China

China didn't get the apology it had sought, but the United States did say it was "very sorry" for the loss of life of the Chinese pilot and his plane. It also said it was "very sorry" that the damaged reconnaissance plane entered Chinese airspace and landed without permission.

Those carefully chosen words, especially the inclusion of the adverb "very," resulted in an apparent end to the very intense diplomatic standoff.

The letter said President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell "have expressed their sincere regret over your missing pilot and aircraft. Please convey to the Chinese people and to the family of pilot Wang Wei that we are very sorry for their loss."

From the U.S. perspective, the language did not amount to an acceptance of responsibility or an apology for the accident.

"There was nothing to apologize for," Powell told reporters in Paris on Wednesday. "To apologize would have suggested that we had done something wrong and we accepted responsibility for having done something wrong. And we did not do anything wrong. Therefore, it was not possible to apologize."

During the week-and-a-half of negotiations, U.S. officials expressed regret for the incident and sorrow for the loss of life, leading up to what they called "the letter of two very sorrys" from U.S. Ambassador Joseph Prueher to Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan.

Powell said some damage had been done to U.S.-Chinese relations as a result of the standoff, but "I don't see anything that isn't recoverable." He also commended the pilot, Lt. Shane Osborn , for steering and landing the plane safely.

"That young pilot was faced with a crisis. His plane had been badly damaged and he had to get it on the ground," Powell said. "Niceties and formalities were not available to him at that moment. And he did a marvelous job of putting that plane on the ground.

"But he did enter airspace without permission and landed without permission, and for that we are very sorry -- but glad he did it."

In a statement read by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Chen Ci in Hainan, Foreign Minister Tang said that "humanitarian considerations" prompted the release of the 24 crew members.

"Since the U.S. government has already said 'very sorry' to the Chinese people, the Chinese government has, out of humanitarian considerations, decided to allow the 24 people from the U.S. spy plane to leave after completion of the necessary procedures," the statement said.

But, Chen said, "this is not the conclusion of the case." China wants the United States to end reconnaissance missions over international waters near China, he said.

The United States, however, has said it has no intention of ending such flights in international airspace. Prueher's letter said the United States agreed to an April 18 meeting to discuss causes of the incident, ways to avoid such collisions in the future, the return of the U.S. plane and the U.S. appreciation of Chinese "assistance in an emergency situation."

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