China seizes unmanned U.S. vessel

The Global Times, published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, said a Chinese naval vessel had discovered "unidentified equipment" and checked it to prevent any navigational safety issues. It cited an unidentified Chinese source.

"This person said China has already received a claim request for the equipment from the U.S. side. Relevant parties from both sides have maintained smooth communication channels and believe this issue will be smoothly resolved," the paper said.

The Pentagon says it has "secured an understanding" with China that it will return an underwater drone seized in the South China Sea.

China captured the US vessel in international waters on Thursday. It has not explained why and accused the US of "hyping-up" the incident.

Beijing maintains it has sovereignty over 85 percent of the South China Sea with its infamous “nine-dash line” claim, which was rejected by a July 12 arbitral ruling in The Hague, and it has continued to complain of American surveillance activity inside that now-invalidated perimeter.

Yet the drone incident took place so close to the Philippine shore that it was beyond China’s claimed area. In short, there was absolutely no justification for the Chinese navy to grab the drone.

This brazen act suggests two things. First, China has become completely lawless. That means Washington’s efforts of more than four decades to “enmesh” that country into the international system’s network of treaties, laws, rules, and conventions has completely failed.

Second, Beijing now thinks it can, with impunity, do whatever it wants wherever it wants. If it had the power, China would undoubtedly interfere with American shipping as it now does with American military vessels and aircraft.

The goal of Washington policy, therefore, should be to prevent China from ever obtaining that power. And the first step to doing that is start imposing severe diplomatic and economic costs on Beijing for, among other things, interfering with America’s right to sail and fly through the global commons.

Aggressors always urge calm after taking provocative actions, as China is now trying to do. This time, Washington should keep the temperature up.