What Australian papers say Tuesday, April 3, 2001

AAP General News (Australia)
04-03-2001
What Australian papers say Tuesday, April 3, 2001

SYDNEY, April 3 AAP - Mid-air interceptions of alleged airspace violators can result
in a test of nerves between pilots, but against a test of nerves between two adversary
nations much more is at stake, the Australian Financial Review editorial says today.

As the United States and China trade blame over a mid-air collision which resulted
in a Chinese fighter plane crashing into the sea while a US Marine plane was forced to
land on a southern Chinese island, the Financial Review says both sides should move carefully.

Tensions between the countries have escalated under the Bush administration, and the
paper says China may be tempted to use the fighter plane incident to inflame domestic
anti-US sentiment, an unwise decision on the eve of an annual US decision on arms sales
to Taiwan.

"The US should pursue a more nuanced approach to China...A weak or unstable China could
well cause the US as much trouble as the more popularly presented spectre of a rising
China," the Financial Review says.

The Australian says the dispute reads like a thriller: "A US spy plane makes an emergency
landing in unfriendly territory after a mid-air duel over the South China Sea.

"The plane's crew and its sophisticated eavesdropping equipment get caught up in a
high-stakes diplomatic stand-off that pits Chinese anger over US arms sales to Taipei
against a new administration determined to get tough with Beijing. Meanwhile, war clouds
gather over Taiwan."

The Australian says a downturn in relations between the US and China is not in Australia's
best interests, and Australia should urge the Bush administration to err on the side of
caution.

The Sydney Morning Herald says that until Sunday, "mere words separated China and the
United States. Now a sudden, unexpected event has brought them into grave diplomatic confrontation..."

"It must be hoped the mid-air collision off the coast of southern China on Sunday morning
was an accident," the Herald says.

It urges the Bush administration to avoid using the situation as an opportunity to
stand up to China, and for China to resist pressure from the armed forces to hold onto
the "prize sitting on the tarmac in Hainan" to quickly resolve the issue without conflict.

The Daily Telegraph says a growing tide of disgruntled ferry passengers faced a new
issue which added insult to injury - the prospect of an 11 per cent fare increase which
would add an average 37 cents to each trip.

Coming on top of a series of incidents with ferries running aground and supercats running
aground or being swamped with water, the Telegraph says asking for a fare increase now
is a matter of terrible timing.

It suggests action is needed to regain public confidence, and if changes to operational
standards, running schedules or the ferry fleet are necessary, then they should be made.





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