Sri Lanka permits the controversial Chinese ship to enter, India is concerned

Credent TV | Sri Lanka permits the controversial Chinese ship to enter. In spite of India’s worries that a Chinese research vessel may spy on New Delhi’s military facilities, Sri Lanka‘s government gave permission on Saturday for the vessel to visit the island, sources said.

International shipping and analytics sites label the Yuan Wang 5 as a research and survey vessel, but Indian media claim it is really a dual-use surveillance ship.

The expansion of Chinese influence in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean has prompted concerns in New Delhi.

Despite India’s protests, the Chinese warship Yuan Wang 5 was scheduled to visit the Chinese-run Hambantota port in Sri Lanka on August 11. However, Sri Lanka asked China to postpone the visit indefinitely.

Nonetheless, Nirmal P. Silva, Sri Lanka’s harbour master, said that he had been given permission by the foreign ministry to have the ship visit Hambantota between August 16 and 22.

“This morning I was given the diplomatic go. For port-side logistics, we’ll coordinate with the ship’s designated local agent “Said Silva to AFP.

According to officials in the foreign ministry, Colombo had extended the first clearance for the visit, which had been given on July 12—the day before the former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa departed the country after months of unrest over the nation’s worst-ever economic crisis.

After fleeing to Singapore, Rajapaksa—whose brother Mahinda borrowed extensively from China while serving as president from 2005 to 2015—resigned.

Following accusations of poor leadership during an economic crisis that resulted in severe shortages of food, gasoline, and medications, tens of thousands of demonstrators occupied his palace and residence in Colombo.

On Friday night, according to port authorities, the Chinese ship was roughly 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south-east of Sri Lanka and was slowly making its way to the Hambantota deep sea port.

Less than the $1.4 billion Sri Lanka paid to a Chinese firm to develop the port, Sri Lanka leased it to China for 99 years for $1.12 billion.

Indian sources claim that the Yuan Wang 5 has specialised use for intercontinental ballistic missile launches and the surveillance of satellites and spacecraft.

The Indian government complained to Colombo about their worries that the ship may spy on its operations.

The foreign ministry in New Delhi has said that it would carefully watch “anything having an impact on India’s security and economic interests and take all necessary actions to preserve them.”