US diplomats visit spy plane crew
US diplomats have met the crew of the downed American spy plane in China.
Secretary of State Colin Powell hopes the meeting will lead to the "rapid release" of the 24 crew and the plane.
He wants a quick resolution so relations between the US and China won't be badly damaged.
Speaking at Key West, he said: "I hope that's the beginning of the end of this incident." But he added: "It shouldn't have taken this long to happen."
The news of the 40-minute meeting between US diplomats and Chinese officials in Hainan originally came from an anonymous source.
The US ambassador to Beijing had earlier said that the United States wants a diplomatic solution to the standoff but would offer no apology.
US military officials say the Chinese have undoubtedly boarded the plane and examined its sophisticated equipment.
A senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the spy plane's crew said as they prepared for an emergency landing that they'd begun destroying sensitive intelligence-collection equipment and information.
The two countries are still arguing over who was at fault for the accident. The Americans say the aircraft was operating in international airspace.
"The responsibility fully lies with the American side," Chinese President Jiang Zemin was quoted by Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao. "We have full evidence for that."
