The United States and China have resolved their crisis. Diplomats crafted a statement that allowed both sides to save face and permitted the 24 members of the U.S. spy plane to go home. The peaceful resolution of the standoff is a victory for diplomacy. Just as important, however, both governments now have the measure of each other. While Washington and Beijing have proved they can do business together, lines have been drawn. Just as worrying, their competition for influence will only intensify.

The crisis began when a U.S. reconnaissance plane, flying in international airspace, collided with a Chinese jet fighter on April 1. The Chinese plane crashed, and the pilot is presumed dead. The U.S. plane made an emergency landing at a military airfield on Hainan Island, where the crew was taken into custody and the plane has been picked over by Chinese specialists.

Other details of the incident are unclear. Bits of information have leaked, but little will be certain until there is a complete investigation. There is a good chance that the two governments will never agree on the exact cause of the crash: The loss of life and the national sensitivities involved raise the stakes in ways that make a simple adjudication of right and wrong impossible. Perhaps the most that can be expected is that the two governments will establish procedures and mechanisms to ensure that similar incidents are avoided in the future.