Chinese ‘spy’ ship Yuang-5 docks at Sri Lankan port

The vessel with some 2,000 sailors on board has facilities to track satellites and intercontinental missiles and is slated to remain at the port till August 22.

Chinese ‘spy’ ship Yuan Wang-5 docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port today amid concerns expressed by India and the US.

The vessel with some 2,000 sailors on board has facilities to track satellites and intercontinental missiles and is slated to remain at the port till August 22.

The update also comes a day after India gifted a Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Colombo.

While Sri Lanka had initially refused permission for the satellite and missile tracking ship to berth at the Hambantota port, the request was later approved after China protested the ‘completely unjustified’ calls for delay issued by other countries.

Details of talks between the two countries however remain elusive, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin declining to elaborate on the issue. The Chinese ship had initially been slated to visit Hambantota port between August 11 and 17.

The southern deep-sea port of Hambantota, which has been developed largely with Chinese loans, is considered strategically important because of its location.

India has said that it carefully monitors any development having a bearing on its security and economic interests.

New Delhi is concerned about the possibility of the ship’s tracking systems attempting to snoop on Indian installations while being on their way to the Sri Lankan port. India has traditionally taken a stern view of Chinese military vessels in the Indian Ocean and has protested such visits with Sri Lanka in the past.

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