U.S. relations with China are quickly deteriorating as the nations continue to dispute the collision of a U.S. spy plane with a Chinese jet fighter. The Chinese are demanding an apology while the Bush administration is refusing to admit fault. Rather, both President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell have expressed regret for the collision and presumed death of a Chinese pilot.

We believe this course of action to be correct and most appropriate in light of the information that is available about the incident, which occurred last Sunday. As a result of the collision, the 24 U.S. crew members aboard the spy plane were forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan Island off the coast of China. They are being held in China and could remain there for an indefinite period of time.

Because both countries recognize the other as a competitor as well as a partner in the economic realm, this situation is obviously a sensitive one that cannot be reduced to a game of wills. The standoff has gone on now for more than a week and officials from both sides realize they need to come to a quick resolution.

However, because the exact details of what caused the collision are not altogether clear, a swift end to this bizarre situation may be almost impossible.

There are discrepancies over whether the U.S. plane was flying over international waters and whether the Chinese fighter jet collided into the U.S. plane or vice versa. These crucial fragments of the story must come to light before anymore demands for apologies are made.

Powell has already proposed to refer the incident to a joint military maritime commission so that the disputes over the circumstances surrounding the crash can be resolved. The proposal is still under negotiation; however, both countries should consider it as one of the only ways to salvage an already damaged relationship.

Moreover, because the details of the collision have not fully surfaced, it is important for the Bush administration to proceed with negotiations in a very cautious manner. Bush should refrain from absolute refusals to take responsibility for any part of the collision before an official investigation has been conducted. Without such an investigation, the remains an us-versus-them dispute.

While the immediate concern is getting the crew released from China, both the United States and China should look at the bigger picture of the long-term effects of damaged relations between the two countries.

China and the United States are important assets to each other. With the standoff only getting more tense with each day and no formal investigation upon which to rely, this situation could only get better if the two countries work together toward a swift resolution.