Sri Lanka has notified India that it will not allow any Chinese research vessel to enter its ports or conduct operations within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for a year, according to a Hindustan Times report, citing people with knowledge of the matter. .
The move comes just after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged President Ranil Wickremesinghe to respect India’s strategic and security interests during their meeting on July 21, 2023.
The declared moratorium was conveyed to India through top diplomatic channels last week, the report added.
The scientific research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 of China, originally intended for “deep water exploration” in the southern Indian Ocean from January 5, 2024 to the end of May, will now not receive permission from the Sri Lankan authorities.
The decision comes after Sri Lanka’s Wickremesinghe government announced a one-year moratorium on hosting Chinese scientific research vessels and ballistic missile trackers following concerns raised by India and the US. In addition, China has asked the pro-Beijing regime of Mohammed Muizza in the Maldives for permission to conduct a survey off the coast of Male for a 4,600-ton Xiamen-based vessel.
Earlier, India raised objections over the Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6, which conducted a joint maritime survey with the Sri Lankan Maritime Agency in October-November.
Despite these objections, the vessel was allowed to dock in Colombo after Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe visited Beijing in October to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Objections to Shi Yan 6, expected to return to Sri Lanka around March, and Xiang Yang Hong 3 were communicated to Wickremesinghe by India’s top diplomatic representatives.
Historically, Chinese research ships, ballistic missile trackers and hydrographic vessels have entered the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to conduct deep surveys, including the 90-degree ridge south of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
For example, the Shupang-class hydrographic vessel Deng Jiaxian operated in the IOR from August 10 to 24, reentered the Sunda Strait on August 28, and departed through the Lombok/Ombai Wetar Strait in early September 2023. On September 11, the same vessel was observed surveying the Philippine Sea.
By 2023, at least 25 Chinese ships, including PLA warships, submarines, ballistic missile trackers and research vessels, were operating in the IOR, raising concerns in India and the US.
As of 2019, a total of 48 Chinese scientific research vessels have been deployed in the IOR, with primary areas of operation near the east and west coasts of India and in the depths of the Indian Ocean.
