China holding on to spy plane for now

U.S. diplomats on Wednesday wrapped up three hours of tense meetings with Chinese officials to try to get an American spy plane back after it landed on Hainan island on April 1.

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The White House called Wednesday's meeting "not productive," and is threatening to break off further talks unless the Chinese agree to discuss the return of the spy plane.

Eight Americans, mostly military officials, plan to meet again on Thursday at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. The U.S. Navy EP-3 plane in question remains on Hainan, where it is believed the Chinese army is examining it closely.

U.S. Ambassador Joseph Prueher is now expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Ministry officials Wednesday and tell them that unless China responds to U.S. demands to discuss the spy plane's return, there won't be a second meeting.

The U.S. plane made an emergency landing at a military airstrip on the island after a mid-air collision over the South China Sea with a Chinese fighter jet. The jet was lost and its pilot presumed dead.

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The 24 U.S. crew members were held for more than a week while the two governments laid the blame for the incident at each other's feet.

After a carefully worded letter of regret was delivered to Beijing, the crew was sent home.

Now, the two sides have staked out positions that might make it difficult for the Americans to get their plane back.

China says the United States has to stop flying surveillance missions near its coast.

The White House says it's doing nothing wrong by flying in international airspace and wants to discuss the tactics Chinese pilots use when intercepting U.S. planes.

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Since the crew was returned to U.S. territory, Washington has turned up the heat on China's version of the crash and the way it handled the incident, which has made Beijing angry.