U.S.-China relations go beyond spy plane

The standoff over a U.S. spy plane and its crew of 24 being held by Chinese authorities on Hainan Island has made the new Bush administration keenly aware of the subtleties and complexities of U.S.-Chinese relations.

If Bush and his team manage this explosive situation wisely, it will be an important learning experience both for the White House and for the Chinese leadership still struggling to figure the administration out.

The key objective now is to keep this matter from escalating. That means patience with a Chinese decision-making apparatus that often appears to be unconscionably slow to outsiders.

It also is crucial that this incident does not become unnecessarily bound up to the related, but quite separate, issue of arms sales to Taiwan.

Bush is on the verge of making an executive decision on the sale of new weapons systems to Taiwan.

The decision on the sale of weapons to Taiwan must be made with clear-headed understanding of our long-term relationship with China.

It would be best for Bush to put all decisions about arms sales and Taiwan on ice until the situation is resolved.

China could help its own cause by quickly returning the plane and crew as required by international law and plain good sense.

Given the current political climate in Washington, a swift and safe return of these American assets would do far more good than any attempt to use this unfortunate incident as a bargaining chip.