China, US should resolve naval probe issue amicably

The Pentagon has accused China of seizing an unmanned naval probe in international waters in the South China Sea. The incident can stoke tensions around Beijing military presence in the disputed area.
Reports that emerged after the incident said that the underwater vehicle was taken around 50 nautical miles (90 kilometers) northwest off Subic Bay in the Philippines.
The event unfolded as the civilian-crewed USNS Bowditch was retrieving a pair of ‘naval gliders’ that routinely collect information on water temperatures, salinity and sea clarity.
A Chinese Dalang-III class submarine rescue ship then stopped within 500 yards of the Bowditch and snatched one of the probes. The Americans safely hoisted the other one back onto their ship.
Washington has issued a formal request through diplomatic channels to ask for the probe back. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said China had acted unlawfully. “The UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) is a sovereign immune vessel of the United States. We call upon China to return our UUV immediately, and to comply with all of its obligations under international law,” Cook said.
While it is yet not clear what went before such a move by China, the unprecedented move can threaten to exacerbate tensions between the US and China. The situation is already volatile. The Taiwan call issue has already infuriated China. Also the President-elect Donald Trump has threatened higher tariffs on Chinese products.
China might have acted to show that Beijing will not take matters lightly when it comes to Trump. China is showing it has the capability to respond in a time and place of its choosing. As for Washington, unless it is prepared to ramp up regional tensions, it has few options except to ask for the underwater vehicle back.
The incident comes amid broader tensions in the South China Sea, where China has moved to fortify its claims to the region by building out tiny reefs and islets into much larger artificial islands.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have competing claims in the South China Sea, which is laced with the world’s most heavily travelled international trade routes. While the United States takes no position on sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, it has repeatedly stressed all maritime claims must comply with international law.
Many theories are floating around. One possibility is that the American drone was conducting surveillance against a Chinese nuclear submarine, and China felt the need to deny the US vital military secrets, acording to Zhang Baohui, director of the Center for Asian Pacific Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong.
Against a background of rising tensions in the South China Sea and Trump’s increasingly hawkish comments on China policy, this incident will be a serious test for US-China relations.
In all probability, the Chinese are beginning to look for ways to send signals to the new administration that they are not going to be pushed around when it comes to the US role in Asia, whether it’s Taiwan or the South China Sea.
Beijing has long showed its displeasure to US military patrols and surveillance within its exclusive economic zone, an area stretching 200 nautical miles from land. The US views anything beyond 12 nautical miles as international waters in which military activities can take place.
China has also sought to avoid moves that raise tensions as it builds up military installations on islands it claims in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
Whatever is China’s concern over naval probe, it is in the best interest of both countries to settle the issue amicably. China has received the US request to return the device. It will set a good example if China heeds the call.