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Beijing sees US drone as spying efforts
An underwater drone taken by a Chinese naval vessel in the South China Sea last week is part of US surveillance efforts in the disputed waterway, but Beijing won’t likely make a big fuss about its handover, Chinese state media and experts said.
By
migrator
migrator
Beijing
US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to take a more aggressive approach in dealing with China over its economic and military policies, jumped on the unusual drone seizure with a pair of provocative tweets, accusing Beijing of stealing the equipment. The drone, known as an unmanned underwater vehicle, was taken on Monday, the first seizure of its kind in recent memory.
The Pentagon went public with its complaint about the incident and said on Saturday it had secured a deal to get the drone back. China says its looking for an appropriate way to return the vehicle, but accused Washington of hyping up the issue. China is deeply suspicious of any US military activities in the resource-rich South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirely.
The overseas edition of the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Daily said in a commentary on Monday the USNS Bowditch, which was operating the drone, was a “serial offender” when it came to spying operations against China. “The downplaying of the actions of the drone cannot cover up the real intentions in the background,” it said. “This drone which floated to the surface in the South China Sea is the tip of the iceberg of US military strategy, including towards China.”
The drone, which the Pentagon said was operating lawfully was collecting data about the salinity, temperature and clarity of the water about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay, off the Philippines.
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