A Chinese Navy warship has seized an underwater drone deployed by an American oceanographic vessel in international waters in the South China Sea.
The drone seizure, is the first of its kind in recent memory, about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay off the Philippines, just as the USNS Bowditch was about to retrieve the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).
According to USA, the naval glider was used to test water salinity and temperatures to help in the mapping of underwater channels, before adding it was taken by China in international waters about 50 miles off Subic Bay.
The seizure will add to concerns about China’s increased military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea.
The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have competing claims in the South China Sea, which is laced with the world’s most heavily travelled international trade routes.
