Languages all over the world have the vastness of vocabularies whereby different words that generally convey the same meaning are used based on context according to the situation. The use of words depends upon the addressee’s age, relation, authority, and the emotions behind it. However, this linguistic nuance has very interestingly averted a very serious situation which otherwise could have led to more tensions and eventual war between United States and China.

Chinese, Arabic, English, German, Japanese, Urdu languages, etc all possess the same hallmarks of expressions, however, its practical testimony was very interestingly observed which otherwise would have been a very delicate issue between China and the USA. The tussle between big powers was averted by the use of the words ‘Sorry’ & ‘Very Sorry’.

The 2001 US-China air collision crisis was resolved by the careful crafting of the ‘Letter of Two Sorries.

The incident took place in April 2001 in the airspace above Chinese territory. It’s no secret that big powers prepare themselves for the strength of their adversary through intelligence gathering by all means at their disposal. In this regard, satellites, and surveillance planes are used with stealth characteristics. On 1 April 2001, one such US Aircraft, EP-3E which was on its routine mission in the South China Sea, as proclaimed by the USA, off the Coast of Hainan Island, China. This area is strategically very significant for China and is heavily patrolled.

Subsequently, the USA Surveillance plane was detected by the Chinese Radar. In retaliation, the Chinese scramble its fighter jet, Chengdu J 8 piloted by Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei which intercepted the EP-3E. During the interception, the fighter jet and the reconnaissance plane collided. The Chinese jet was severely damaged and crashed into the sea, killing Wang Wei. The U.S. plane sustained major damage, including to its propeller and nose cone.

The crew of 24 Americans made an emergency landing at Lingshui Airfield on Hainan Island without clearance from Chinese authorities. The plane along with its crew was detained by the Chinese Government. Thus, started a diplomatic row which took eleven long days to reach its culmination.

As anticipated, the Chinese demanded a full-fledged apology from the USA for the incident. However, that would have meant taking responsibility for flying over the Chinese territory in violation of international regulations and norms. China was, however, not willing, for anything sort of full apology.

This event rapidly escalated into a major diplomatic crisis as the U.S. government demanded the immediate release of the crew and the airplane. In turn, China sought an official apology for the incident and expressed its discontent regarding U.S. surveillance activities in the region. Both the U.S. and China released conflicting narratives about what transpired. The USA maintained that the EP-3 was operating in international airspace and called for the immediate release of the detained crew. On the other hand, China demanded an apology and expressed outrage over what it perceived as aggressive U.S. actions in its airspace.

Diplomacy often hinges not just on actions but on the nuanced use of language to convey intentions and avoid conflict.

Notwithstanding the US official stance, President George W. Bush was under tremendous pressure to secure the release of its crew and avoid escalating the situation. Its reputation was at stake inland and abroad. Military preparedness was heightened in both the states, just in case.

Presumably and probably where the military minds were found scratching their heads, linguistics were called in to draft an apology that shall not appear like an apology. Chinese were however not so naive and were fully prepared to stop nothing of a full-fledged apology. Words like Sorrow, Grieved, and Sorry were echoing in the corridors of the Pentagon and the State Department. Chinese were not amused by such words & USA did not want to sound weak. So a mere SORRY was out of the question for the USA.

However, an apology without the word ‘Sorry’ was unacceptable to the Chinese Government. Face-saving was evident for both the states to appear strong and diplomatically victorious in this situation. The world was carefully watching and reporting on the incident through print and electronic media. Every passing day was adding stress to the situation.  For a good eleven days, the two sides were locked in a diplomatic standoff.

Finally, the famous letter which is remembered today as ‘Letter of Two Sorries’ was drafted. The USA sent a carefully worded letter to China, in which the USA expressed being “VERY SORRY” for the death of Pilot Wang Wei & “SORRY” for the EP-3E landing on Chinese territory without permission. Both sides were happy and content with the outcome. China on its part believed that the USA apologized for both incidents equally, however, the USA was celebrating that it had shown remorse only for the death of the pilot and apologized only for the unlawful landing, which in her reckoning was understandable since the plane was damaged and it was unavoidable and was of lesser gravity amongst two.

The USA expressed ‘very sorry’ for the pilot’s death and ‘sorry’ for the emergency landing, satisfying both parties.

Seldom the selection of words avert wars and come to the rescue of men in uniform in contemporary history.  In essence, the art of diplomacy relies not only on the actions of nations but also on the language used to express intentions, emotions, and concessions. Carefully chosen words can create connections, while poor choice of words can result in misunderstandings that jeopardize peace. Therefore, few tools are more powerful than well-crafted dialogue in the realm of international relations, where the stakes can be extremely high.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.