Chinese 'spy' ship in Sri Lanka..!? What is India's plan..!?
A spy ship from china had requested permission to enter Sri Lanka's Hambantota port. The Sri Lankan government, which initially denied permission to the ship, has now allowed the ship to enter. Chinese spy ship arrived at Hambantota port today. The Chinese ship is said to be equipped with the Yuan Wang-5 surdata-face-to-air missile. The ship is said to be here from august 16 to august 22. Meanwhile, Union External Affairs minister Jaishankar has commented on this issue. He said that india will always keep a close eye on all the things happening in the neighboring country that pose a threat to India's security. And let's look at those things very carefully. So we are carefully watching the things that are going on in Sri Lanka.
While the ship, Yuan Wang 5, is said to be used only for research and exploration, there have been reports in the media that the ship is also being used for spying. india has been suspicious of China's increasing activities in the indian Ocean and its influence in Sri Lanka. Later, after india raised concerns, sri lanka requested china to postpone the ship's arrival indefinitely. Sri Lankan government sources say that despite India's concerns to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the indian side has failed to give a satisfactory answer as to why the ship should not be allowed to dock.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of sri lanka on the issue, "On august 12, 2022, the Chinese Embassy applied to the Ministry for permission for the Yuan Wang 5 ship scheduled to arrive at Hambantota Port on august 16, 2022, to load goods. Considering all the documents, the Chinese embassy was informed that the ship was cleared on august 13, 2022, it said. Sri Lankan port authorities said the Chinese ship was slowly approaching the deep sea port of Hambantota, about 1000 kilometers southeast of sri lanka, on friday night.
Sri Lanka has leased Hambantota port to china for 99 years for $1.12 billion. sri lanka has paid 1.4 billion dollars to a Chinese company to build it. The Yuan Wang 5 is said to be used for space and satellite surveillance and has intercontinental ballistic missile applications.