On Thursday, a Chinese navel vessel seized an underwater drone from a US Navy oceanographic research ship, which prompted a quick call from the Department of Defense to return the vehicle. After “direct engagement” between the two countries, China will return the vehicle to the United States, according to Reuters. Chinese officials claimed that the United States had been “hyping up” the incident, but that the country “decided to return it to the U.S. side in an appropriate manner.” The seizure come as tensions between China and others in the South Pacific have been on the rise.