Sri Lanka has asked China to indefinitely delay sending its Yuan Wang 5 research vessel to dock at the Hambantota Port, after India raised concerns regarding the vessel’s operations.
In a written request, Colombo’s foreign ministry requested the Chinese embassy in Colombo to indefinitely postpone the scheduled visit, an official told AFP on Saturday. “The ministry wishes to request that the arrival date of the vessel Yuan Wang 5 in Hambantota to be deferred until further consultations are made on this matter,” the request says. In addition, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe also assured party leaders on Friday that the visit will not go ahead as planned.
A Sri Lankan official confirmed to Reuters that the delay is because of Indian opposition.
The Yuan Wang 5 is a high-tech survey vessel that is en route from the Chinese port of Jiangyin and is set to arrive in the Chinese-run Sri Lankan port of Hambantota on Thursday, according to analytics website MarineTraffic.
Sri Lanka asked China to defer the arrival of the Yuan Wang 5 surveillance/survey ship at Hambantota port pic.twitter.com/mdTcBQaxEp
— Rishikesh Kumar (@rishhikesh) August 6, 2022
According to the Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL), a Sri Lankan consulting firm, the vessel would remain in the Hambantota port for a week to “conduct space tracking, satellite control and research tracking in the north-western part of the Indian Ocean region through August and September.” BRISL added that the ship provides an “excellent opportunity for Sri Lanka and the regional developing nations to learn and develop their own space programs.”
Despite its description of being a research vessel, it is believed that such research exercises are also a guise to increase maritime surveillance and gather intelligence. According to CNN-News18, the Yuan Wang 5 is a dual-purpose spy ship, which Beijing utilises for space and satellite tracking and with specific usage in intercontinental ballistic missile launches.
🚢🇨🇳🇱🇰🇮🇳
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) August 7, 2022
August
4th Aug: Sri Lankan President reaffirms One China
5th Aug: Sri Lanka sends letter to Chinese embassy asking spy vessel Yuan Wang 5 to defer visit
July
12 July:Permission given for Chinese spy vessel to dock at Hambantota
13 July:Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees Sri Lanka https://t.co/bGDc3koT6R
The news prompted a protest from India, which is worried the vessel would be used for spying purposes in the region. To this end, New Delhi stated last month that it will keep a close watch on all issues that impact its “security and economic interests” and stands ready to take “all necessary measures to safeguard them.”
However, China’s foreign ministry dismissed the worries and defended its actions, stating that it hopes “that the relevant parties will view and report on China’s marine scientific research activities correctly and refrain from interfering with normal and legitimate maritime activities.”
The Yuan Wang 5 will be the first such naval vessel to dock at a Sri Lankan port since 2014, at which time a Chinese submarine at the shores of Colombo drew similar concern from India.
India gave $4 billion help to Sri Lanka only to have China send its spy ship Yuan Wang 5 to Hambantota port for “replenishment”.
— Monica Verma (@TrulyMonica) August 1, 2022
There is little that Sri Lanka can do about it though. Port is already on a 99-year China lease.
In recent years, Sri Lankan foreign policy has tipped the balance towards strengthening ties with China, over India. In fact, the $1.5 billion Hambantota port itself is seen as an example of Chinese overreach. China now controls the port’s commercial activities, after Colombo awarded Beijing a 99-year lease due to its inability to pay off its debt. Since then, foreign and local sources have reported that the port is always under heavy security and provides very little information about its activities.
Against this backdrop, both India and China have tussled for political and economic influence over Sri Lanka, particularly as the island nation’s crisis worsens. In fact, India has already provided Sri Lanka with over $4 billion in currency swaps, lines of credit, and food and diesel deliveries.