From what I understand the EP3 crew said that the Chinese pilot saluted them before gesturing for their aircraft to move away. To me that would suggest a certain amount of respect from one military organisation to another.
It's a shame that the US was cracking open the yellow-ribbon and missing-hero boxes so early on in the game. I suppose Bush would have sent a Chinese spyplane and crew back home immediately, no questions asked. The hypocrisy is unbelievable.