An EP-3 Surveillance aircraft, the kind that collided with a Chinese jet fighter. REUTERS

Q. Why was the U.S. spy plane flying over Chinese waters?
A. Experts say that the plane was indeed spying on China, but that the U.S. has done so for the past 50 years. Recent events have made for difficult relations between China and the U.S., so that even though China knows that most countries spy on each other, it is more likely to be angry about a U.S. plane-especially after a collision with a Chinese fighter jet.

Q. Why are relations between the U.S. and China so shaky?
A. Many factors have contributed to the problems between the U.S. and China. China has two major goals for the near future: to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to host the 2008 Olympic Games. But China's poor human rights record has damaged its reputation, and many people in the U.S. and other nations have said that China should clean up its act before it is allowed to become a full-time player on the world stage. In addition, Taiwan, a longtime American ally, has been fighting for independence from China. China believes that Taiwan is fully a part of China, while the U.S. has considered selling advanced weapons to Taiwan. As if all that weren't enough, in 1999, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), accidentally bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, while it was trying to drive Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic out of power. The U.S. is a major NATO player.

Q. Why was it in the best interests of both nations to resolve this conflict?
A. You probably have something in your home that was "Made in China." The U.S. and China share a trade relationship that is worth billions of dollars per year. If relations broke down, China would lose a lot of money, and the U.S. would lose the goods that it depends on. In addition, China and the U.S. each have allies-nations that stand by them in times of crisis. Russia is a major Chinese ally. When the U.S. has problems with China, relations with Russia become shaky as well.

April 10, 2001

Q. Why do the Chinese want an apology?
A. The Chinese say the Americans entered their air space while spying on them. When confronted by Chinese fighter jets, the American spy plane, they claim, veered into one of the jets, causing it to crash into the ocean, which resulted in the death of the pilot.

Q. Why won't the U.S. apologize?
A. The U.S. says the plane was over international waters when it was illegally confronted by the Chinese fighter jets. They claim it was the Chinese pilot that acted recklessly and clipped the U.S. spy plane.

Q. Why are the Chinese and Americans wrangling over the words "regret" and "sorry?"
A. The Bush administration believes that "regret" does not imply blame as much as the word "sorry" does.