China said its military seized a US Navy unmanned underwater glider in the South China Sea, but it would give the drone back.
However, US president-elect Donald Trump later said on Twitter that the Chinese government should be told “we don’t want the drone they stole back.”
That came after US officials had confirmed that they “secured an understanding” for the return of the device.
The Chinese navy on Thursday seized the drone, which the US Pentagon said was being operated by civilian contractors to conduct oceanic research.
The US lodged a formal diplomatic complaint and demanded the drone back.
Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Yang Yujun (楊宇軍) late on Saturday issued a statement saying that a Chinese navy lifeboat 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.
The statement said that after confirming that the device was a US unmanned submerged device, “China decided to transfer it to the US through appropriate means.”
The US said that “through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return” the uncrewed underwater vehicle, said Peter Cook, a spokesman for US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.
However, Trump, after holding a rally to thank supporters for his election victory, 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!” the president-elect tweeted on Saturday evening.
He earlier in the day had blasted 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.
However, China pointedly accused the US of long-sending ships “in China’s presence” to conduct “military surveying.”
“China is resolutely opposed to this and requests the US stop such activities,” it said. “China will continue to maintain vigilance against the relevant US activities and will take necessary measures to deal with them.”
The drone was seized while collecting unclassified scientific data about 92km northwest of Subic Bay near the Philippines in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said on Friday.
“It is ours. It’s clearly marked as ours. We would like it back, and we would like this not to happen again,” Davis told reporters.
He said the drone costs about US$150,000 and is largely commercial, off-the-shelf technology.
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