A Chinese warship seized a US Navy uncrewed underwater glider that was collecting unclassified scientific data in the South China Sea, and the US is demanding its return, the Pentagon said on Friday.
US Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the US has issued a formal diplomatic complaint over Thursday’s incident, but added he was not aware of any response at the time.
He said this may be the first time in recent history that China has taken a US naval vessel. There have been periodic incidents over the years between US and Chinese military ships and aircraft.
PHOTO: Reuters / Courtesy of the US Navy
The Chinese embassy in the US said it had no immediate comment, but the incident is likely to fray the already tense relations between the US and China.
Beijing was angered by US president-elect Donald Trump’s decision to talk by phone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Dec. 2, and by his later comments that he did not feel “bound by a one China policy” regarding the status of Taiwan, unless the US could gain trade or other benefits from China.
There have also been increased tensions over Beijing’s ongoing military buildup in the South China Sea, which includes the development and militarization of artificial shoals and islands aimed at extending China’s reach into the Pacific region.
Davis said the USNS Bowditch, a civilian US navy oceanographic survey ship operated by the military’s Sealift Command, was recovering two of the gliders about 50 nautical miles (92km) northwest of Subic Bay near the Philippines when the Chinese ship approached.
He said the Dalang-class Chinese ship, which conducts rescue and recovery missions, sent out a small boat that then took one of the US Navy gliders.
The captain said the Chinese ship acknowledged radio messages from the US ship, but did not respond to demands that the craft be returned.
The US issued a so-called diplomatic demarche overnight.
The US navy drone is a glider, about 3m long and less than 60cm wide that can be programmed and moves automatically through the water collecting data on temperature, salinity and other scientific facts used for sonar operations.
“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.
Davis said the USNS Bowditch, which is not a combat ship, was stopped in international waters on Thursday afternoon when the Chinese ship approached. The two vessels were within about 457m of each other.
He said the USNS Bowditch carries some small arms, but no shots were fired.
As the Chinese ship left with the drone, the Pentagon said, its only radio response to the US vessel was: “We are returning to normal operations.”
Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said China was likely sending a signal to Trump’s incoming administration because of his comments about Taiwan.
After those comments, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman An Fengshan (安峰山) said breaching the “one China” principle “will seriously affect peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” and undermine relations between Beijing and Washington.
China yesterday said that its military was in contact with its US counterparts on “appropriately handling” the Chinese navy’s seizure of the glider.
The comment by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered no details on what discussions were under way or why China seized the drone.
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