Progress in China as of

December 29, 2000

(Provided by the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office)

 

 

Background: Chinese involvement spans four conflicts

 

• Dozens of US aircraft lost in remote areas during WWII.

 

• During Korean War, Chinese engaged in combat against US forces and ran most POW camps.

 

• The Chinese shot down several American aircraft in Cold War incidents.

 

• There are four Vietnam-era incidents involving the loss of eight American servicemen over China.

 

1975 - In response to USG queries, China provides information on several Vietnam Cases.

 

1983 - SECSTATE Schultz discusses POW/MIA issue with Chinese Foreign Minister.

 

1985 - JCRC/CILHI team conducts investigation/excavation of reported burial site in Shanxi Province.

 

1991 - PRC allowed investigation of a Vietnam-era US aircraft crash site off the coast of Hainan Island.

 

1992 - USG passed the names of 125 unaccounted for Americans from the Korean War to the Chinese Ambassador in Washington for investigation.

 

1993 - US delegation travels to Beijing to discus POW/MIA cooperation.

 

1993 - Remains from a WWII C-87 are repatriated from Tibet. CILHI team reviews remains in Lhasa and holds official repatriation ceremony in Beijing.

 

1993-4 - JTF-FA investigations and survey of Vietnam-era cases in Guangxi Province and Hainan Island.

 

1994 - Joint recovery Operation of C-87 crash site on Tibetan glacier. Remains repatriated in Beijing.

 

1994 - Two Korean War cases presented to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Information is provided to USG concerning shoot-downs, but Chinese state that their forces did not handle remains.

 

1996 - Five Korean War cases presented to MFA.

 

1996 - JTF-FA investigates three Vietnam-era cases in Southern China.

 

1996 - PRC President Jiang Zemin initiates discussion on POW/MIA cooperation with President Clinton at APEC Summit in Manila.

 

1997-9 - Recovery of WWII B-24 crash site remains in Guangxi Province, and repatriation in Beijing. DASD (POW/Missing Personnel Affairs) Bob Jones attends final repatriation ceremony.

 

1999 - DASD Jones meets for the first time with his newly identified MFA counterpart, Chen Mingming. Chen states that the MFA is willing to investigate clear and specific information on Korean War cases, but notes that Korean War archives belong to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and remain classified. Mr. Jones and Chen meet a second time eight months later, and more than 40 additional Korean War cases are presented to the Chinese for investigation.

 

Jan 2000 - DASD Jones meets again with Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen agrees to start an oral history program (OHP).

 

July 2000 - During visit to Beijing, SECDEF Cohen highlights importance of increased cooperation on Korean War accounting.

 

Sep 2000 - DASD Jones and Chen Mingming kick-off OHP in Beijing. Four veterans interviewed.

 

The Chinese view of POW/MIA cooperation

 

• The Chinese understand the importance of the issue to the American public.

 

• Cooperation on WWII, Cold War and Vietnam-era cases is cordial and, as information becomes available, productive. Until very recently, Korean War cooperation has been problematic, as the Chinese officially state that all Korean War cases involving China were solved at the cessation of active hostilities.

 

• The Chinese view this as a bilateral humanitarian issue to be handled by the MFA rather than the PLA.

 

USG Position

 

• With the Chinese cooperating on WWII, Cold War, and Vietnam War cases, the most significant issue remaining is the Korean War.

 

• PLA archives and veterans likely hold a wealth of information on unaccounted for Americans from the Korean War.

 

• Focus is on working with the MFA to find acceptable avenues for engaging the PLA and gaining access to these archival materials and witnesses.

 

• Response from the MFA on the Korean War cases presented in the past to years is critical for advancing efforts in POW/MIA cooperation, and important to overall improvement in the bilateral relationship.

 

• Recent SECDEF visit highlighted importance of maintaining momentum in cooperative Korean War accounting effort.

 

Recent Developments

 

• Annual DoD-PLA Defense Consultative Talks were held January 24-26 of this year. US expectations for PLA assistance in POW/MIA information sharing were briefed to the Chinese.

 

• DASD Jones and Mr. Chen met in January and September of this year. The talks were cordial and productive, with Mr. Chen agreeing to work with DPMO to establish an oral history program focused on interviews with Chinese Korean War veterans involved in POW camp operations. This represents substantive progress on PRC cooperation in our Korean War accounting effort, and a major step toward engaging the PLA in this effort. The program began during DASD Jones’ September visit with the interview of four Korean War POW camp workers. The Chinese also agree to co-sponsor a US-PRC Korean War veteran-to-veteran exchange. A group of US veterans are scheduled to travel to Beijing in January, 2001 for the first such exchange.

 

• Mr. Chen also agreed to move forward on a DPMO request to establish US-PRC academic exchanges focused on the Korean War, and to pursue avenues for open source archival research.

 

• During July visit to Beijing, SECDEF highlighted importance of increased cooperation on Korean War accounting.

 

• Observations of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War provide the PRC with excellent opportunities to advance cooperation on this issue. We are at a critical juncture in our effort to move forward on Korean War accounting, and look forward to increased cooperation with China in this effort.