Martyrdom campaign for missing Chinese pilot

Fighter pilot Wang Wei hailed as a national hero

In this story: Qingming Festival 'Heroic act' Emotional comments RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Rose Tang
CNN Writer

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- China's state media has launched a campaign of martyrdom for the missing pilot of a fighter that collided with a U.S. spy plane.

Major state-run news outlets CCTV and the People's Daily released photos of Wang Wei, who disappeared five days ago after he ejected from his F8 fighter following the collision with a U.S. Navy EP-3E reconnaissance plane above the South China Sea on Sunday morning.

New reports of Wang, 32, splashed across front pages of major newspapers, paint him as a national hero.

Chinese sailors have been searching for Wang for five days

China's navy meanwhile is continuing its search for Wang and still officially considers him officially "missing".

Qingming Festival

The emotional media campaign coincides with the Qingming Festival on Thursday, a day traditionally for the Chinese to commemorate the dead.

Over the past few decades, the Chinese government has designated the day to hold ceremonies to pay respect to communist martyrs.

Wang's story came to light as China and the U.S. continue their confrontation over the collision.

As the confrontation entered its fifth day, the U.S. repeated calls for the return of the U.S. plane and release of the 24 crew members.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has also expressed his "regret" at the apparent death of Wang.

China has continued its calls for a full apology from the U.S., and said the spy plane will remain on Hainan Island for the duration of an investigation into the incident.

'Heroic act'

People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily reported that officials and military leaders from Wang's birthplace Huzhou city in Zhejiang province visited Wang's family yesterday.

Mayor of Huzhou was quoted as telling Wang's parents: "We admire your son's heroic act to protect the motherland. Wang Wei is your good son, also the pride of the people of his hometown."

Wang, branded as an "excellent squadron leader of the Navy Air Force", is married with a six-year-old son. His parents are retired workers.

Wang passed entrance exams with high marks to enter a flying college when he was a teenager, according to Xinhua.

His fellow officers told PLA daily that Wang was "an excellent pilot with superior flying skills for four kinds of climate and had successfully completed many flying tasks in the past."

"Why are American lives more precious than Chinese lives? The Americans always call themselves 'human rights guards'. But this time, they haven't mentioned a word about human rights yet," PLA Daily questioned.

Emotional comments

Many newspapers carried emotional comments from Wang's wife Ruan Guoqin.

In a Xinhua story headlined "Wife of our parachuted pilot Wang Wei teary-eyed, waits for husband to return safely", Ruan vehemently condemned the U.S. "hegemony".

Xinhua reported Ruan had been receiving intravenous drips as she fell ill from worrying.

"The U.S. government has been nonchalant about my husband's life and death. Where are their hearts? Where's humanitarianism? Where's fairness?" she said from her hospital bed.

PLA Daily reported troops and armed police stationed in Hainan island vowed to train harder and convert their patriotic passions into "actual action to maintain social stability".

More than 30 ship searches have combed the sea

So far the Navy and a local rescue unit have made more than 30 ship patrols and 50 plane searches to comb the sea about 100km south-east of Hainan Island, off the south coast of mainland China, Xinhua said.

The rescue team said Wang may have drifted far away from the collision site, which makes the search more difficult.

There have been no reports on whether the wreckage of Wang's fighter has been located.

China so far has not disclosed at what speed or altitude Wang was traveling when he ejected.

Powell: 'We regret' Chinese pilot's loss
April 5, 2001
'China is the injured party,' ambassador says
April 5, 2001
China media steps up anti-U.S. message
April 4, 2001
Asia steers neutral course on U.S.-China standoff
GOP lawmakers: Arms sales to Taiwan more likely
April 4, 2001
China declines U.S. search offer
April 3, 2001

Xinhua News Agency
People's Daily
PLA Daily
CCTV
The Pentagon
Government of China (in Chinese)

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