China's Navy Snatches a US Sea Drone, and Will Return

choi

In chronological order.

(1) Paul Sonne and Gordon Lubold, US to China: Return Our Sea Drone. Wall Street Journal, Dec 17, 2016 (front page).
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s- ... ese-ship-1481909093

Quote:

"US Naval Ship Bowditch, which has a civilian commander, was retrieving two underwater drones about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines [note: on international waters near the Philippines, not China]. It was being shadowed by a Chinese ship, a Dalang 3 * * *
The USNS Bowditch retrieved the first drone, but while it prepared to retrieve the second one, the Chinese ship put a smaller boat in the water and snatched it away

"It was the first time China has seized a piece of US military gear since the Chinese detained a Navy surveillance plane that landed on Hainan Island following a midair collision in April 2001. Unlike that incident, however, the underwater drone was on an unclassified mission and isn’t considered a particularly valuable intelligence asset, according to a U.S. military official.

(2) 特朗普推特骂中国 '没有总统' 拼错字反被笑. BBC Chinese, Dec 17, 2016
www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/38354374
("美国权威字典出版机构 '韦氏词典' 的官方推特也发文说，'早安，今天的每日一字……不是 "没有总统的，" 我们字典里找不到这个字，这是个新字' ")

Note:
(a) The full-text of the tweet:

"Merriam-Webster ✔ @MerriamWebster
Good morning! The #WordOfTheDay is...not 'unpresidented'. We don't enter that word. That's a new one. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/huh
8:41 AM - 17 Dec 2016"
https://twitter.com/MerriamWebster?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

(b) Voice of America has a detailed description o the Chinese vessel. There is no need to read the rest of the VOA report.

川普发推斥责中国盗取无人潜航器 '前所未有.' Chinese, Dec 17, 2016
www.voachinese.com/a/TRUMP-TWITTER-US-CHINA-DRONE/3640311.html
("美国国防部官员星期五 [Dec 16] 说，12月15日，美国海军的 '鲍迪奇' 号海洋测量船的无人潜航器在菲律宾苏比克湾西北大约93公里处根据国际法进行例行的测量活动，在 '鲍迪奇' 号正在收回无人潜航器时，中国海军的922-III型（北约代号 '大浪三型'）'ASR-510' 号打捞救生船放出一艘小船将其非法劫走")

* Type 922 rescue and salvage ship
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_922_rescue_and_salvage_ship

(3)
(a) 中方：将妥善处理美国无人潜航器归还事宜. Chinese, Dec 17, 2016
www.voachinese.com/a/news-china-us-navy-20161217/3640138.html
("北京方面没有说，这一事件可能何时能得到解决")
(b) 中国指控美国炒作无人潜航器被劫一事. Chinese, Dec 17, 2016
www.voachinese.com/a/china-us-drone-20161217/3640386.html
("北京还指控华盛顿美军 '频繁派出舰机在中国当面海域（原文如此）进行抵近侦察和军事测量。' 中国国防部新闻发言人杨宇军在星期六晚间发布的一份声明中说：'中方对此坚决反对，要求美方停止此类活动' ")

Note: The (3)(a) and (b) are based on one (and only one) Q&A:

国防部新闻发言人杨宇军答记者问. 国防部网, Dec 17, 2016.
http://www.mod.gov.cn/info/2016-12/17/content_4767072.htm