Chinese 'research ship' docks at Colombo port amid security concerns raised by India

According to local sources, a Chinese research ship made a port call in Sri Lanka’s Colombo port on Wednesday despite security concerns expressed by the US on its arrival.

“Shi Yan 6 was given permission to enter the (Colombo) port for replenishment,” a Sri Lankan foreign ministry spokesperson told PTI.

News agency PTI quoted officials as saying that because India was raising security concerns, Sri Lanka was delayed obtaining clearance for Shi Yan 6 to arrive. Official confirmation of the same, though, is lacking.

How long the ship would stay berthed at the port in Colombo was unclear.

Shi Yan 6 arrived after President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s trip to China the previous week.

The Chinese research vessel is expected to arrive in October for maritime research activities conducted in partnership with the National Aquatic Resource Research and Development Agency (NARA) of Sri Lanka, according to an announcement made by Colombo in August.

The vessel, described as a research/survey vessel with a carrying capacity of 1,115 DWT, is said to measure 5.3 metres long overall and 90.6 metres wide.

Concern over the planned visit of the Chinese research ship to the island nation was conveyed by the US to Sri Lanka last month.

It was claimed that US Under Secretary Victoria Nuland expressed concerns on the visit of “SHI YAN 6” when she visited with Ali Sabry, the foreign minister of Sri Lanka, in New York during the UN General Assembly session.

China regularly sends its research and surveillance ships to Sri Lanka.

Concern over the trips of Chinese vessels to Sri Lanka has been expressed by India.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer HAI YANG 24 HAO made a two-day visit to Sri Lanka in August of this year. India reportedly voiced concerns, which caused the 129-meter-long ship’s arrival to be delayed.

India responded strongly to a similar visit by the Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship, “Yuan Wang 5,” in August of last year when it docked in the port of Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka.

In New Delhi, there were worries that the ship’s tracking devices might try to eavesdrop on Indian security facilities while it was on route to the port in Sri Lanka. But after a long wait, the Chinese-built ship was finally permitted to dock at Hambantota, a strategically important port in the south, by Sri Lanka.

Low on funds India and China are equally significant allies for Sri Lanka in its effort to restructure its external debt. One of the main lenders to Sri Lanka is China. Sri Lanka owes bilateral creditors USD 7.1 billion, of which USD 3 billion is owed to China.

The island nation’s extreme lack of foreign exchange reserves caused it to experience the biggest financial crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948 in 2022.

(With agency inputs)