Sri Lankan govt allowed the Chinese ship to dock at its Hambantota port despite the concerns of India
The Sri Lankan government has allowed the Chinese vessel Yuan Wang 5 to dock at its Hambantota port. The ship is reported to be a research and survey vessel which could be used as a spy ship.
The Chinese authorities had asked for approvals on August 12 for the arrival of Yuan Wang 5 at the Chinese owned Hambantota port on August 16. Sri Lanka had leased the port to China for 99 years for $1.12B.
The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China had asked the Sri Lankan government for approvals and applied for clearances for replenishment purposes.
According to reports the ship could be used for space, satellite tracking and intercontinental ballistic missile launches.
It is being reported by port officials that the Chinese vessel is about 1000 km south-east of Sri Lanka on Friday night and on its way to the port.
Hambantota port is close to Indian waters and international shipping routes connecting Europe to Asia. Presence of Chinese vessels capable of carrying out spying activities should be concerning for India and other Indo-Pacific stakeholders.
The development has come amid concerns of India about the Chinese ship. Sources at Sri Lanka claimed that Indian authorities had raised concerns about the arrival of the Chinese ship with the President Renil Wickramasinghe himself but could not provide a ‘satisfactory’ response as to why the clearance should not be given.
However, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has denied the claims and said that Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation and makes its own decisions. He further said that based on the current situation in the region, India would make the necessary judgment on the security concerns, particularly in border areas.
In a media briefing Bagchi said, “We reject the insinuations in the statement about India. Sri Lanka is a sovereign country and makes its own independent decisions,”
The Indian Government, however, registered a complaint to Colombo about the possibility of the ship spying on Indian military installations.
