The Ranil government being seen as wishy-washy over the Chinese ship’s Hambantota visit, it remains to be seen how much more India would be enthused to rush aid and assistance with the same amount of enthusiasm as through the past months.
Going on twin-engines, China has chosen Sri Lanka to take on India and the US, respectively, on strategic and economic fronts — that too after months of deafening silence when the island-nation was appealing for food, fuel and forex, to which only the Indian neighbour responded. In doing so, China has told India without naming it that New Delhi should not interfere with Beijing’s “legitimate maritime activities”. In the same vein, China also took on the US on matters other than Taiwan, for ridiculing Beijing’s “debt diplomacy… that has led to bankruptcy in Sri Lanka”.
“China 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 foreign ministry said, after India voiced concern over a ‘dual-purpose’ Chinese ship’s planned visit to the controversial Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, which in turn was funded and operated by Beijing. China had always exercised freedom of the high seas lawfully, the foreign ministry told news agency Reuters.
After The Hindu reported the Sri Lankan defence ministry’s initial denial of sorts, the newspaper has since quoted ministry spokesperson that Chinese vessel Yuna Wang 5 was after all visiting Hambantota. “The vessel will be in Hambantota from 11-17 August, mainly for replenishment, including fuel,” The Hindu quoted Col Nalin Herath.
An earlier report in the website of China’s Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL) that Yuan Wang 5 would be in Hambantota for a week and “will conduct space tracking, satellite control and research tracking in the north-western part of the Indian Ocean Region through August and September,” but without citing any source. There is thus no clarity if the vessel would undertake scientific studies in the Ocean and space areas, respectively closer to and above Indian territory.
The question thus remains if China is keeping Sri Lanka (mostly) out of the loop, or if the bilateral Hambantota pact(s) even provide for sharing such information. As The Hindu report pointed out, Sri Lanka’s defence ministry did not explain why it had earlier denied the vessel’s arrival, but quoted Col Herath that “such vessels periodically come from various countries such as India, China, Japan, Australia. It is nothing unusual.” For more see
