China says it will give drone back, but Trump says ‘keep it’
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this undated photo released by the U.S. Navy Visual News Service, the USNS Bowditch, a T-AGS 60 Class Oceanographic Survey Ship, sails in open water. The USNS Bowditch, a civilian U.S. Navy oceanographic survey ship, was recovering two drones on Thursday when a Chinese navy ship approached and sent out a small boat that took one of the drones, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. He said the Chinese navy ship acknowledged radio messages from the Bowditch, but did not respond to demands the craft be returned.
BEIJING >> China says its military seized a U.S. Navy unmanned underwater glider in the South China Sea, but that it will give it back. President-elect Donald Trump, however, says the Chinese government should be told “we don’t want the drone they stole back” and “let them keep it!”
This comes after U.S. officials confirmed that they “secured an understanding” for the return of the device. Trump’s tweet Saturday evening may extend one of the most serious incidents between the American and the Chinese militaries in years.
The Chinese navy on Thursday seized the drone, which the Pentagon said was being operated by civilian contractors to conduct oceanic research. The U.S. lodged a formal diplomatic complaint and demanded the drone back.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun issued a statement late Saturday 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 an American unmanned submerged device, “China decided to transfer it to the U.S. through appropriate means.”
The U.S. said that “through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return” the unmanned underwater vehicle, according to a statement from Peter Cook, spokesman for U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
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!” the president-elect tweeted Saturday evening.
Earlier in the day, he 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 U.S. said China’s “unlawful seizure” came in international waters. Yet China pointedly accused the U.S. of long sending ships “in China’s presence” to conduct “military surveying.”
“China is resolutely opposed to this and requests the U.S. stop such activities,” Yang, the Defense Ministry spokesman, said in the statement. “China will continue to maintain vigilance against the relevant U.S. activities and will take necessary measures to deal with them.”
Earlier Saturday, China’s Foreign Ministry said the nation’s military was in contact with its American counterparts on “appropriately handling” the incident, though it offered no details on what discussions were underway.
Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the seizure of the drone was a “gross violation of international law.”
The drone was seized while collecting unclassified scientific data about 92 kilometers (57 miles) northwest of Subic Bay near the Philippines in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said 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 $150,000 and is largely commercial, off-the-shelf technology.
The USNS Bowditch, which is not a combat ship, was stopped in international waters Thursday afternoon and recovering two of the gliders when the Chinese ship approached, Davis said. The two vessels were within some 450 meters (500 yards) of each other. He said the USNS Bowditch carries some small arms, but that no shots were fired.
According to the Pentagon, as the Chinese ship left with the drone, which is about 3 meters (10 feet) long, its only radio response to the U.S. vessel was, “We are returning to normal operations.”
Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the seizure of the glider occurred inside the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, not China, and appeared to be a violation of international law.
China delineates its South China Sea claims with a roughly drawn sea border known as the “nine-dash line” that runs along the west coast of the Philippines. However, it hasn’t explicitly said whether it considers those waters as sovereign territory, and says it doesn’t disrupt the passage of other nations’ shipping through the area. The U.S. doesn’t take a position on sovereignty claims, but insists on freedom of navigation, including the right of its naval vessels to conduct training and other operations in the sea.
Davis said that the incident could be the first time in recent history that China has taken a U.S. naval vessel. Some observers have called it the most significant dispute between the sides’ militaries since the April 2001 midair collision between a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet about 110 kilometers (70 miles) from China’s Hainan island that led to the death of a Chinese pilot.
The drone seizure seemed likely to fray the already tense relations between U.S. and China. Beijing was angered by Trump’s decision to talk by phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen 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 U.S. could gain trade or other benefits from China. China considers the self-governing island its own territory to be recovered by force if it deems necessary.
There also have been increased tensions over Beijing’s ongoing military buildup in the South China Sea, mainly the development and militarization of man-made shoals and islands aimed at extending China’s reach in the strategically vital area, through which about $5 trillion in global trade passes annually.
63 responses to “China says it will give drone back, but Trump says ‘keep it’”
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Drumpf already failing, by opening his twitter trap, even before he’s official. OMG. What are we in for the next few months.
We’ve elected a seven year old.
A mature grown-up lets a child (China) play with the adult’s (USA) possessions, like a parent letting a child play with his phone, keys, etc.
Anybody – even Mr. Trump’s pathetic supporters – should be able to see by now that he profoundly mentally ill.
True, but they’ll still deny it, right to the bitter end.
Trump is already blundering around. It is terrifying that the nut will be in charge of atomic weapons. Scary beyond belief.
Canada border just a short drive from ND eh?
Meanwhile, Obama on vacation in Hawaii and his brain trust (both here and in DC) is out to lunch. So what is it exactly, that Obama is doing??? Notice how the (now irrelevant) MSM hardly mentions the exiting administration and what their response to such an outlandish act. Nothing. Zip. Nada. THAT is your feckless leader that you liberals so blindly fawn over. Hillary would have done no better. Keep beating up on Trump, its what everyone expects. It’s gonna be a long four years for you. Enjoy!
Pilots getting planes axed by trumpf. Enjoy elite rich baskard tweets.
Obonzo should lay down the gauntlet and demand China to “CUT IT OUT!”
Really your mad man wants to let China keep it and he is not the President yet. Why is he opening his dumb mouth.
What is your mad man doing?
Where’s he having his dinner tonight?
Distract
@ Jusris
We WON…You LOST.
January 20, 2017 #MAGA
Redirect
@ Jusris>>Still a LOSER.
January 20, 2017 #MAGA
No keoni,you lost,usa lost,we all lost when Putin made the pick.
I really hope we survive this next 4 years with this ignorant, egotistical bull in the china shop!
Take another puff and go back to sleep. Everything will be ok….
Another Trump-loving dufus who doesn’t care about what happens to the country as long as the reality TV star is in charge. Give the Chinese hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment? Sure, why not?
Again, the behavior and mentality of a 5 year old
Like Michelle said, we need a GROWNUP in the HOUSE.
Like she said, and guess who is movin in?
agree. Trump lacks the intelligence or emotional stability to be President. His transition has been a disaster for working people. Especially whites.
He’s obviously a psychotic. No question about it.
Allie, get out while you can.
And take klastri with you.
I’ve been very supportive of our PEOTUS, but this latest twitter rant to “keep the drone” bewilders even me.
Well if it really cost $150k of the shelf, then Trump is right, keep it, US can buy another. We would burn $150k in fuel to go get it. On the other hand, if it were something more, if Trump were Pres, we would have taken swift action.
What “swift action?” What exactly are you talking about?
Trumpf would send a killer tweet to China.
Wake up fool.
Whats the swift action?
Hilarious, ho mahn are the next few years gonna be a riot but the sad thing is you party members are going right back to vote for the same 2 party system that got us here and will do worse. Learn to love Liberty.
What’s that old Haleiwa saying about “putting one’s brain in gear, before mouth in action”?
Yeah, they’ll return it and yes in a thousand pieces & after they again, Steal the Technology from it! So yes I see Pres. Trumps view, to keep it! They already stole it’s secrets, folks!
……Is it me? Isn’t there supposed to be a Fail Safe mechanism in place,where the Drone destroys it self? Automatically? Funny there was a similar story in 2015 where the Iranians shot down a U.S. Drone ? Babababooze,Babooze,babooze…babooze as Larry Price would say. Haaaaaaaaaaaa!
Steal the technology? It was more than likely Made in China
IRT MoiLee: Fake News…You got any proof of this? Any article you are citing or are you behaving like the people you criticize and making up news? #MAGA
It’s a minor incident but sad to say Trump is willing to go to war over the drone when in the past our own military drone caused the death of a Chinese fighter pilot in the Chinese economic zone.
You are so re-ta*rded it’s unbelievable, weewili.
That overly aggressive chinese pilot that caused his own demise purposely was playing cat and mouse games with a P-3 anti submarine patrol plane with a crew of nine, HIT the plane with his and spun out of control into the drink.
Get your stories straight before spewing off your unintelligent, “kupuna” B . S .
Yes… I read a little into the story from a first read of the article. But that’s not as bad as your fabrication of facts in the article.
The Chinese have every right to investigate unknown aircraft flying so clse to China. How do we know that the fighter was not shot down?
Because people were actually there, and survived, told a different story. But that’s not good enough for you, is it? Still want the conspiracy story.
America is getting what they voted for: chaos, madness, loose cannons on deck everywhere. Our ship is in great peril. Hopefully this won’t take long…
Whatever you say, Chicken Little
America getting better already. Carrier folks have jobs for Christmas, we got our drone, ND access pippin stopped to find alt route, the Isis dude with a knife at Ohio University was neutralized within 60 seconds by police, yea 2017 looking good.
That wa be access pipe line
This comp messed up, that was nd access pipe line
Get off the pipe wave.
Most of the carrier jobs are still leaving and the people of Indiana are poorer since they have to bear the cost of the bribes (tax credits) Trump and Pence lavished on United Technology so Trump could conduct a PR stunt. Meanwhile, hundreds more companies and tens of thousands of jobs will leave and the bozo-elect won’t/can’t do anything to stop them. What a pathetic crybaby.
The only ones I hear crying are the democrats who got their behinds handed to them.
IRT wave1: You are correct sir!!! A final Christmas present from Obama before he leaves us…All that you said are happening with Obama still in office…#MAGA
Donald threw a temper tantrum; imagine what happens when he is the POTUS.
China: Let’s give them back a duplicate drone complete with GPS locators and listening devices so we can further spy on the Americans.
TRUMP: “Keep the drone, morons.”
China: Uh-oh. This new President is quite different from the last one.
Funny. I agree though, nice to have a president that is unpredictable, just like all the other world leaders, keep them on their toes.
You mean stupid.
That’s until his mouth gets us into some real serious problems. Or have you forgotten his claim that he did not make comments about grabbing women’s behinds and then a recording showed that he did in fact make such statements? Sure, he got a pass on the behavior as it seems we have become accepting of such. But when it comes to other countries we’re no longer in a seven year old’s tantrum land.
Yes, keep them guessing, not like The predictable do nothing, take 2 aspirin Obama.
Conduct, unbecoming of an Officer!
Until China returns the Drone and we have had a chance to insect it for damage, etc, USA should impound a Chinese ship in one of our ports. EPA could say it illegally discharged human waste, etc. USCG would install a perimeter of steel cables around the ship to prevent it from leaving. US Navy seals would wrap the props in a huge net so they cannot turn, place a limpet monitor on the ship’s hull.
No one allowed to leave the ship except for medical emergencies. Cell phone jammers, other equipment would silence the ship’s communications.
China wants to play games, we can too.
Is Trump’s seeming alliance with Russia to box in China? There’s a theory kicking around in foreign policy circles that his looming detente with Putin is actually “Nixon in reverse”. Trump might be making nice with Russia in order to form an axis against China. We will soon find out soon enough as this story pans out.
China replies — We don’t want it!
Return a hundred fifty thousands drone and was told to keep it! Save face is priceless! Trumped by Trump!!
All the Hellary losers are failing to recognize that the conflicts with China and Russia have happened during the watch of the current administration. If “O” is truly the great leader you think he is he would have settled the differences to provide a clean slate for the incoming administration. The seeds for war and racial divide have been planted and the road will be difficult.