More than a year after a Chinese vessel berthed at a Sri Lankan port, another ship known as the “geophysical scientific research vessel Shi Yan 6” has arrived in the South Asian nation on Wednesday (Oct 26), according to media reports. This so-called scientific vessel, often referred to as a “dual-use spy ship,” reportedly docked at Colombo port, raising concerns highlighted by Indian and US authorities.
It marks the second visit of China’s “research” vessel to Sri Lanka. China’s large-scale infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, such as the leasing of the Hambantota port to Beijing, have been blamed for pushing the country into an economic crisis last year and triggering widespread protests. Around 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s loans are from China.
The previous Chinese ship arrived in Sri Lanka in August of last year, and before that, China’s Yuan Wang 5 entered Hambantota.
Concerns Voiced by India and the US Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had previously expressed concerns about China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean. In September, Jaishankar spoke at an event and stated, “Over the last 20-25 years, there has been a consistent increase in China’s naval presence and activity in the Indian Ocean, but the size of China’s navy has increased sharply. When you have a much larger navy, it becomes more visible in terms of its deployments.”
Even US Under Secretary Victoria Nuland, while meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, raised concerns about the Shi Yan 6.
China is already notorious for its alleged overseas spying activities. The Shi Yan 6 was granted permission to enter Colombo port for replenishment purposes until October 28. According to Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kapila Fonseka, “The Shi Yan 6 was given permission to enter the (Colombo) port for replenishment.”
Originally, the Chinese vessel was meant to conduct research in collaboration with Sri Lankan state institutions, but this permission was not granted. “The specific permission is very clear,” Fonseka noted.
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