Obama will threaten to issue a stern warning.
A Chinese navy ship seized an American unmanned undersea vehicle in international waters in the South China Sea on Thursday.
Reuters first reported the development Friday morning, which comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea. The Chinese warship seized the underwater vehicle deployed by the USNS Bowditch, a U.S. oceanographic ship, on Dec. 15, leading American officials to demand its return.
The incident occurred northwest of the Subic Bay in the South China Sea.
CNN reported that the underwater drone was seized by the Chinese vessel right before the eyes of the crew of the USNS Bowditch. The American vessel had stopped in the water to collect two underwater vehicles, when crew members of the Chinese navy ship put a small boat in the water and came up alongside the U.S. ship and took one of the drones.
China, which claims most of the South China Sea as its territory, has been building on artificial islands in the region in what U.S. officials have described as efforts to militarize the region. China has also ignored a ruling by an international tribunal this summer that concluded Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea have no legal or historical basis.
U.S. warships have repeatedly sailed close to islands and features claimed by China in the South China Sea in recent months, in exercise of their freedom to navigate through international waters. The moves have drawn ire from Beijing.
On Thursday, China appeared to acknowledge that it had deployed weapons to features in the Spratly island chain, after a U.S. foreign policy think tank released an analysis indicating that Beijing had installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems on seven of its manmade islands.
“The deployment of necessary military facilities that will be mainly used for defense and self-defense purposes is legitimate,” the Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China said in a statement. “For instance, if anyone flexes muscle in front of your house, shouldn’t you prepare a bow and arrow?”
China has also expressed concern about President-elect Donald Trump’s statement indicating he might not continue to abide by the “One China” policy under which Washington doesn’t recognize Taiwan as an independent state.