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China Says It Will Return the Underwater Drone It Seized From the US (thehill.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the international-incidents dept.

An anonymous reader quotes The Hill: China said Saturday it will return the unmanned U.S. drone it seized in the South China Sea, calling the issue "hyped up" by the U.S. "Upon confirming that the device was a U.S. underwater drone, the Chinese side decided to transfer it to the U.S. side in an appropriate manner," said the spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, Sr. Col. Yang Yujun, according to CNN. "China and the United States have been communicating about this process. It is inappropriate -- and unhelpful for a resolution -- that the U.S. has unilaterally hyped up the issue. We express our regret over that."
A Defense Ministry spokesman added that China opposes U.S. "surveillance and military surveys in waters facing China...and demands the U.S. cease such activities. China will stay alert over relevant U.S. activities and will take necessary measures to counter them."

4 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. Re:They know by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 5, Funny

    Also, Chinese officials looked inside and realized "Oh, we pretty much make all of these components. Not much we could learn from this, I guess."

    --
    Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
  2. Returned in a box by p51d007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Happens all the time. In the 70's, a Mig25 landed in Japan, pilot defected with the plane, and "owners manual". Russia was hopping mad and wanted it back, and they did...in a big box ;) I'm sure the US underwater drone, by the time it is returned will have been photographed, scanned, dismantled and every ounce of anything copied. It's how it works.

  3. Confucious say by Rick+Zeman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "It is inappropriate -- and unhelpful for a resolution -- that the U.S. has unilaterally hyped up the issue. We express our regret over that.""

    They express regret over the US being upset at their actions. Umm, okay.

  4. Key omission from American media by hackingbear · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you read the Chinese news report, the statement says it "seize the unknown object because it posed safety concern to the passing sea traffic". Of course, it is an excuse. But given we use the excuse of "freedom of navigation" to intrude within the 12 nm of their claimed island, it is a fair game.