The chances are now considered small that Chinese fighter pilot Wang Wei survived the crash of his jet after being bumped by a US spy plane over the South China Sea on April 1, but the largest naval search in Chinese history continued yesterday.

"Wang still has a slim chance to survive," said Liu Shi, director of the State Maritime Safety Administration. "We do expect a miracle to happen."

The unprecedented and challenging search for the missing pilot continued for a ninth day yesterday as more than 10,000 people assisted the effort. As of Friday, 289,000 square kilometres of sea area had been searched.

Meanwhile, China continued yesterday to demand the US take full responsibility for the plane collision, apologize and adopt effective measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, the Foreign Ministry said.

The two nations have held several rounds of talks in recent days to diffuse the tense situation, Xinhua reported. The US reconnaissance plane landed in Hainan Island without permission after the collision.

"The US wants to work earnestly with the Chinese to arrive at a proper settlement for this incident at an early date," said Joseph Prueher, the US ambassador to China.

At the same time, the Chinese continue to focus on finding Wang.

"If there exists a glimmer of hope of Wang Wei's surviving, we will continue to do our utmost to find him," said a serviceman at the rescue centre in Hainan set up after the incident.

Wang would have faced major challenges in the sea, including difficult weather, big waves and sharks.

Bush's letter

President George W. Bush is sending a letter to the wife of the Chinese fighter pilot, who is still missing, Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday.

Powell said on "Fox News Sunday" that he could not disclose the contents of Bush's letter because he had not seen a final draft.

Powell also said yesterday he was "sorry" about the personal loss experienced by the pilot's wife, using a word top administration officials had avoided.

"We have expressed regrets, we've expressed our sorrow, and we are sorry that a life was lost," Powell said, referring to the missing pilot.

(China Daily 04/10/2001)