Donald Trump: US should let China keep drone seized in South China Sea

AN UNDERWATER drone seized by the Chinese navy is the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of US military surveillance in the South China Sea, Chinese state media claim.

President-elect Donald Trump says the US should let China keep the Navy’s unmanned underwater glider that it seized in the South China Sea. Picture: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP

AN UNDERWATER drone seized by the Chinese navy is the “tip of the iceberg” of US military surveillance in the South China Sea, Chinese state media claim.

The Chinese navy on Thursday seized the drone, which the Pentagon said was being operated by civilian contractors to conduct oceanic research.

However commentary published in the People’s Daily — the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece — said the drone was linked to US efforts to “contain” China.

“In recent years, the U.S. has tried to strategically contain China through the South China Sea issue,” journalists wrote.

“The U.S. cannot hide its real agenda by downplaying recent events. The unmanned drone was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to U.S. military actions against China.”

TRUMP: ‘LET CHINA KEEP STOLEN DRONE’

Earlier, agreed to return a US Navy unmanned underwater glider that it seized in the South China Sea — but President-elect Donald Trump says the US should just let them have it.

“We should tell China that we don’t want the drone they stole back — let them keep it!” the billionaire businessman tweeted shortly after the US military announced an understanding had been reached with China for the drone’s return.

We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2016

The US lodged a formal diplomatic complaint, calling the incident an “unlawful seizure” in international waters, and demanded the drone back.

China said the reason its military seized the glider was because they wanted to ensure the safe navigation of passing ships, but vowed to return it.

Donald Trump (left) could be headed for a fraught relationship with China’s President Xi Jinping (right). Picture: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Luis Hidalgo

The US 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 US Defence Secretary Ash Carter.

Shortly after the announcement, Mr Trump criticised the deal on Twitter — the second time he’d blasted the seizure that day.

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.

China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 17, 2016

The drone was seized while collecting unclassified scientific data about 92 kilometres northwest of Subic Bay near the Philippines in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said.

“It is ours. It’s clearly marked as ours. We would like it back, and we would like this not to happen again,” Captain Davis told reporters.

He said the drone costs about $US150,000 and is largely commercial, off-the-shelf technology.

According to the Pentagon, as the Chinese ship left with the drone, which is about three metres long, its only radio response to the US vessel was, “We are returning to normal operations.”

The USNS Bowditch, a civilian US Navy oceanographic survey ship, was recovering two drones on Thursday when a Chinese navy ship seized a drone. Picture: CHINFO, Navy Visual News via AP

Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Centre 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 US 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.

Satellite images show a small reef under Vietnamese control in the South China Sea before Vietnam starting dredging work (top) and after (bottom). Picture: AFP/Planet Labs