China Says It'll Give US Its Underwater Drone Back

While blaming US for having 'hyped up' the whole affair
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 17, 2016 2:34 PM CST
China Says It'll Give US Its Underwater Drone Back
File photo of Chinese aircraft carrier.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Tang, File)

China will be returning that American underwater drone it snatched out of international waters Thursday, the Pentagon announced Saturday. "Through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return the UUV to the United States," CNN quotes a Pentagon spokesperson as saying. "Upon confirming that the device was a US underwater drone, the Chinese side decided to transfer it to the US side in an appropriate manner," the Chinese Defense Ministry said in its own statement. The New York Times reports the two sides are still working on a how and when for the drone's return, though a source says the Pentagon expects to have it back in a few days. China blames the US for having "hyped up" the whole thing. (Donald Trump weighed in on the drone's seizure, calling it "unpresidented.")

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