A Chinese naval warship, equipped with surveillance capabilities, has recently arrived at the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka. This comes nearly a year after another Chinese spy vessel caused apprehension in India when it berthed at a strategic port in the country.
The HAI YANG 24 HAO, a 129-meter-long ship commanded by Commander Jin Xin and manned by a crew of 138, docked at Colombo port on Thursday, according to the Sri Lankan Navy. The ship is scheduled to depart on Saturday.
Reports suggest that Sri Lanka initially delayed granting permission for the warship's arrival due to concerns raised by India. The Chinese authorities had sought permission earlier, but resistance from India caused the delay, as per the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Despite briefing Indian officials about the ship's visit, concerns remained regarding its surveillance capabilities and potential snooping on Indian defense installations during its journey to the Sri Lankan port.
Last year, a similar visit by the Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship, 'Yuan Wang 5', to the southern Sri Lankan port of Hambantota triggered strong reactions from India. Eventually, after significant delays, Sri Lanka allowed the ship to dock at the strategically important port, which is being developed by a Chinese company.
Sri Lanka considers both China and India as equally important partners in its efforts to restructure its external debt. Negotiations for debt restructuring, both external and domestic, must be concluded by September to meet the International Monetary Fund's review of the USD 2.9 billion bailout offered in March this year.
The island nation faced an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe shortage of foreign exchange reserves.
