China returns Stennis drone

WASHINGTON – China returned an underwater drone Dec. 20 to the U.S. after seizing the vessel last week. The seizure raised tensions in a relationship that has been tested by President-elect Trump's signals of a tougher policy toward Beijing. The Chinese navy vessel that seized the drone returned it near where it had been taken. It was received by the USS Mustin about 50 miles northwest of Subic Bay, the Philippines, in the South China Sea, according to the Pentagon. China's defense ministry said in a statement that it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations." The U.S. said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. (Source: Fox News 12/20/16) Gulf Coast Note: The underwater drone was being operated by the Naval Oceanographic Office at Stennis Space Center, Miss., when it was seized Dec. 15.