China confirmed Tuesday that it has returned a US Navy underwater drone back to US authorities, which the country seized last week in the South China Sea.
The underwater glider was handed back at noon (0400 GMT) Tuesday the Chinese Defence Ministry announced in a one sentence Chinese language statement on its official website.
The drone was being used to collect military oceanographic data as part of routine operations near the Philippines, when a Chinese Navy ship intercepted it on December 15.
The US Defence Department also issued a statement on the drone handover on Monday, saying that the initial seizure by China was unlawful.
“This incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea,” the Defence Department statement said.
“The US has addressed those facts with the Chinese through the appropriate diplomatic and military channels, and have called on Chinese authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and to refrain from further efforts to impede lawful US activities,” it said.
After the incident, the US lodged a formal diplomatic complaint and demanded the drone back, although on Sunday US president-elect Donald Trump tweeted “Let China keep it!”
Earlier he had complained about China’s behaviour regarding the incident.
“China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act,” he tweeted.
Territorial disputes and navigation issues in the South China Sea have been a point of tension between China, its neighbours and the United States.
