Donald Trump weighed in Saturday on China’s controversial seizure of a U.S. Navy drone in international waters with a tweet that accused the Chinese of stealing it and ripping “it out of water.”
(FOX)- The President-elect sent the tweet around 7:30 a.m. Saturday. It read: “China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented [sic] act.”
Trump appears to have meant unprecedented. He later corrected the misspelling.
China seizure of the drone in the South China Sea is seen by some observers as one of the most significant disputes being the U.S. and China in years. It follows Trump’s post-election call with the president of Taiwan.
Earlier Saturday China said that its military was in contact with its American counterparts on “appropriately handling” the seizure of the U.S. Navy unmanned underwater glider.
The one-sentence comment by the foreign ministry offered no details on what discussions were underway or why China on Thursday seized the drone, which, according to the Pentagon, was being operated by civilian contractors to conduct oceanic research. The U.S. said it issued a formal diplomatic complaint over the seizure and demanded the drone’s return.