The US President, George W Bush, has said that he believes progress is being made in the crisis surrounding the stranded US spy plane in southern China. The White House said that Mr Bush saw forward movement in the continuing intense diplomatic contacts between the two governments. This afternoon, US officials had their second meeting with the 24 aircrew who have been held on Hainan island since Sunday when their aircraft made an emergency landing after colliding with a Chinese fighter.
Intensive efforts are continuing to resolve the stand-off over the mid-air collision. It is understood these involve acknowledging the death of the Chinese pilot, exchanging information about the cause of the collision and examining ways of trying to avoid such incidents in the future.
