China seizes US survey drone in South China Sea

The US has demanded the return of an underwater survey drone that it says was seized by a Chinese navy vessel in international waters in the South China Sea.

“It’s ours, it was clearly marked, we want it back, and we don’t want this to happen again,” Pentagon spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said. “The UUV [unmanned underwater vehicle] was lawfully conducting a military survey in the water of the South China Sea. It’s a sovereign immune vessel, clearly marked in English not to be removed from the water – that it was US property.” 

The encounter occurred on Thursday in the South China Sea about 50 miles (80km) northwest of Subic Bay, Philippines, the US says.

The US Naval Ship Bowditch, which has a civilian ommander, was conducting survey work along the sea floor in the South China Sea using at least two of the underwater drones.

It was being shadowed by a Chinese ship, a Dalang 3, a typical occurrence when US ships navigate through these waters. The Chinese ship had placed a smaller boat in the water to retrieve the American drone and the US ship established “bridge to bridge” communications with the Chinese vessel, about 500 yards away/

The Bowditch made radio contact with the Chinese ship to demand its immediate return but were "ignored".

"This is not the sort of conduct we expect from professional navies," Capt Davis said.

The seizure is likely to add to US concerns about the growing military posture taken by China in the South China Sea.

A US think tank reported this week that aerial imagery shows that China has installed weaponry along seven artificial islands they have built at sea, against US protocols. In November 2015, two B-52 bomber planes flew over the man-made islands, known as the Spratly Islands.