China will return seized US drone
Print Edition
CHINA will return an underwater American drone seized by a naval vessel last week in the South China Sea to ensure the safe navigation of passing ships, but has complained that the United States were hyping up the incident.
Donald Trump, who becomes president of the United States next month and who has vowed to take an aggressive approach with China, jumped on the drone seizure with a pair of provocative tweets, accusing Beijing of “stealing” the equipment.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said on Saturday that a Chinese Navy lifeboat had discovered an unknown device in the South China Sea on Thursday. “In order to prevent this device from posing a danger to the safe navigation of passing ships and personnel, the Chinese lifeboat adopted a professional and responsible attitude in investigating and verifying the device,” Yang said.
He said that after verifying that the device was an American unmanned submerged device, “China decided to transfer it to the US through appropriate means.”
“China decided to return it to the US side in an appropriate manner, and China and the US have all along been in communication about it,” the defence ministry said on its website.
“During this process, the US side’s unilateral and open hyping up is inappropriate, and is not beneficial to the smooth resolution of this issue. We express regret at this,” it added.
The seizure of the drone, known as an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), was the first of its kind in recent memory. The Pentagon went public with its complaint after the action and said on Saturday it had secured a deal to get the drone back.
“Through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return the UUV to the United States,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.
But Trump, after holding a rally to thank supporters for his election, took to Twitter to criticize the deal. “We should tell China that we don’t want the drone they stole back. Let them keep it,” he tweeted.
Earlier on Saturday the president-elect had criticized the seizure.
Misspelling “unprecedented,” he tweeted: “China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters — rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act.” He later reissued the tweet, correcting the spelling.
The US said China’s “unlawful seizure” came in international waters. Yet China pointedly accused the US of having long ships “in China’s presence” to conduct military surveying.
Without directly saying whether the US drone was operating in Chinese waters, China’s Defense Ministry said US ships and aircraft had for a long period been carrying out surveillance and surveys in the presence of Chinese waters.
“China is resolutely opposed to this, and demands the US stops this kind of activity,” the ministry said. China would remain on alert for such activities and would take necessary steps to deal with them, the ministry added without elaborating.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
