HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka –
A Chinese navy ship arrived at a Beijing-built port in southern Sri Lanka on Tuesday after its call was delayed due to apparent security concerns raised by India.
The Yuan Wang 5 sailed for the port of Hambantota and was met by Sri Lankan and Chinese officials in the morning. The development could raise concerns in India, which is suspicious of China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka has referred to the Yuan Wang 5 as a “scientific research ship”, but there are fears in India that the ship could be used to surveil the region, with multiple media reports calling it a “dual-use spy ship”.
“The Yuan Wang 5 is a powerful tracking vessel whose significant air range, reportedly around 750 km, means that several ports in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh could be on China’s radar,” the Indian newspaper wrote. Express.
Developments surrounding the ship, watched closely, underscore the competitive interest of regional giants India and China in the small island nation. For more than a decade, Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean and along one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes has seen the two countries compete for influence.
Over the years, Beijing was seen as having the upper hand with its free-flowing loans and infrastructure investments. But Sri Lanka’s economic collapse proved to be an opportunity for India to gain greater influence, as New Delhi stepped in with massive financial and material assistance to its neighbor.
The ship is allowed to dock in Hambantota until August 22, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said last weekend. He added that China had agreed that the ship would keep its identification systems activated and not carry out any investigative activities while in Sri Lankan waters.
“Given the geopolitical dynamics in the region and Sri Lanka’s high vulnerability on the economic front, Sri Lanka is playing with two fires at the diplomatic level,” said international affairs analyst Ranga Kalansooriya.
The Yuan Wang family of warships serves both the Chinese missile force and the space program, which is run by the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party.
Previous reports from Chinese official media have depicted PLA officers serving in command positions aboard Yuan Wang-class vessels, which may also have civilians in their crews.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin dismissed concerns about the ship at a briefing on Monday.
“I would like to reiterate that the marine scientific research carried out by the Yuan Wang 5 research ship is in accordance with international law and international common practice and will not affect the security and economic interests of any country,” he said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, India gifted a maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Sri Lanka to strengthen its maritime security. The Indian embassy said the aircraft would help Sri Lanka deal with multiple security challenges such as human and drug trafficking as well as other crimes in its coastal waters more effectively.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said last week that India was aware of a planned visit by the ship and is carefully monitoring any developments affecting its security and economic interests and will take all measures to safeguard them. He also dismissed claims last week that India pressured Sri Lanka to postpone sending the ship.
As Sri Lanka suffers its worst economic collapse, India has in recent months provided crucial assistance including food, fuel, medicine and cooking gas. At the same time, China’s agreement to restructure its infrastructure loans to Sri Lanka is vital if the country is to agree to a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.
China has lent Sri Lanka billions of dollars for development projects, some of which have been criticized as having little practical use. They include the port of Hambantota, built with Chinese money under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his home region, even though the plan was rejected by a panel of experts.
When the port failed to generate enough revenue to repay the loan, Sri Lanka in 2017 was forced to hand over the facility and thousands of acres of surrounding land to Beijing for 99 years, giving China a key foothold in the port. country just off the coast of India. .
Kalansooriya said that while Sri Lanka cannot rule out the two regional powers, its president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is tasked not only with saving the country’s economy, but also with maintaining a diplomatic balance.
——
Associated Press journalist Krishan Francis contributed to the report from Colombo, Sri Lanka.