Trump: China’s Drone Theft Is “Unpresidented”

The Independent reports:

Donald Trump has accused China of “stealing” a US Navy drone, after it was seized in international waters of the South China Sea. The President-elect tweeted: “China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented [sic] act.”

The incident, which followed Mr Trump’s call with the president of Taiwan, was described as one of the most serious diplomatic incidents between the two nations in recent memory. The message appeared to escalate the tensions between the two countries, which officials had been working to repair since the incident — which has been interpreted as a warning signal to Mr Trump because of his warmth towards Taiwan.

The militaries of the two countries are reportedly in talks to discuss the return of the drone, the removal of which caused deep anger in the Pentagon. A statement released by China’s foreign ministry on Saturday said: “According to [our] understanding, the US and Chinese sides are working on appropriately handling this matter through channels between the two militaries.”