IS PLA FIGHTER pilot Wang Wei, downed in the mid-air collision with a United States reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, a people's hero or was he a reckless maverick?
As crucial questions remain unanswered over the fateful incident, the propaganda battle being waged behind the scenes by China and the US presents conflicting images of the 33-year-old airman.
The background briefings being offered by the Pentagon to media and congressmen portray the naval squadron commander as a 'flashy' pilot who flew dangerously while intercepting US aircraft - flying so close on one occasion he was photographed holding a piece of paper showing his e-mail address.
These briefings contrast with reports published in Beijing, which call Wang an 'outstanding pilot' and, in his earlier days, a responsible student.
Wang's portrayal is much more than a simple propaganda device. It is being used by both powers to substantiate allegations the other side was at fault.
Official Chinese media are being closely scrutinised by military experts and academics for signs of how Beijing intends to handle the crisis. So far, the central Government has kept mainland media on a tight leash, unlike the rage vented against America in 1999 following the Nato bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.
Chinese leaders, from President Jiang Zemin down, have made it clear they expect an apology over the incident. After the pilots of the American EP-3E surveillance aircraft made an emergency landing at the PLA's Lingshui airstrip on Hainan Island, which Beijing alleges was unauthorised, the 24 US military personnel on board were held at a military guesthouse.