Why a Ship is the Latest Source of Tensions in India-China-Sri Lanka Triangle

A Chinese ship's potential docking at Hambantota port is worrying India. Here's how things have unfolded till now.

The Yuan Wang 5.

(Photo Courtesy: brisl.org)

(This article was originally published on 8 August 2022. It has been republished from The Quint's archives after the controversial Chinese 'spy' ship named Yuan Wang 5 docked at Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port on Tuesday, 16 August.)

The latest source of tensions between China and India is a ship. And at the centre of all this is Sri Lanka.

The crisis started when the crisis-plagued country's Defence Ministry denied reports about a Chinese ship involved in space and satellite research and tracking that would enter and dock at the infamous Hambantota port.

This is the same port that Sri Lanka had to concede to China after Colombo lost its financial capability to repay the money it had borrowed from Beijing to finance the Hambantota Port Development Project.

It was first reported in The Economic Times on 30 July that "Yuan Wang 5 is currently sailing "at 19.0 knots", and headed to Hambantota. But there are unconfirmed reports that Lanka may deny entry of the ship at the Hambantota Port."

"Yuan Wang 5, which set sail from the Chinese port of Jiangyin on July 13, and passed by Taiwan is now in the East China Sea, and was expected to dock in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port from August 11-17 for 'replenishment'," read a press release on the website of BRISL (Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka).

In response to this, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing, "We are aware of reports of a proposed visit by this vessel combined to the port in August. Let me just say that the government carefully monitors any development having a bearing on India's security and economic interests and takes all necessary measures to safeguard them. I think that should be a clear message."

And Sri Lanka had actually denied reports of the ship coming to Hambantota, with a Defence Ministry spokesperson telling The Hindu on 28 July in Colombo, "We have no confirmation of such a vessel calling at the Hambantota port."

A lot, however, has happened since then.

Sri Lanka's U-Turn

A few days after denying reports of Yuan Wang 5's potential arrival at the port, Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry media spokesperson Colonel Nalin Herath said on 30 July that "the vessel will be in Hambantota from August 11 to 17, mainly for replenishment, including fuel."

Soon after the statement, China, in what appeared to be a message to India, said that it hoped that "relevant parties" would refrain from interfering with its "legitimate maritime activities," according to Reuters.

Colonel Herath did not go on to explain why the ministry had denied the reports in the first place. "Such vessels periodically come from various countries such as India, China, Japan, Australia. It is nothing unusual," is all he had to say, as reported by The Hindu.

Another U-Turn

Yuan Wang 5, which began its journey from the Chinese port of Jiangyin was set to arrive on Hambantota on 11 August.

Five days before the estimate time of arrival of the ship, Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry requested the Chinese Embassy in Colombo to delay it.

"The Ministry wishes to request that the arrival date of the vessel Yuan Wang 5 in Hambantota to be deferred until further consultations are made on this matter," the request read.

Even Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured political leaders last week that the ship will not arrive as planned, reported by The Hindu.

China Reacts With Urgency

In response to the Sri Lankan government's request the Chinese embassy in Colombo reportedly sought an urgent meeting with the former to discuss the Foreign Ministry note seeking a delay of the docking of the ship.

And according to some Sri Lankan news portals, Ranil Wickremesinghe even held a closed-door meeting with China's Ambassador Qi Zhenhong.

President Wickremesinghe's office has denied all such reports of the meeting.

Security Concerns and Power Dynamics

The high-tech Chinese research vessel that, according to The Hindu, would "conduct satellite control and research tracking in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean region through August and September," was flagged as as security concern by New Delhi.

There are a couple of other factors to consider here. Firstly, India has been actively providing economic aid to Sri Lanka, a country that is witness the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, and a political crisis involving constant changes in leadership. China, on the other hand, has been crediting Sri Lanka with infrastructure, and its loans might help Colombo get an IMF bailout.

Additionally, the Hambantota port is considered strategically important and is de facto under Beijing's control due to its development with Chinese loans. India has in the past objected to the visits of Chinese vessels, especially military ones, in the Indian Ocean. For instance, in 2014, Sri Lanka permitted a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine to dock in one of its ports.

At the time, Sri Lanka had made a similar argument, stating that "this is nothing unusual. Since 2010, 230 warships have called at Colombo port from various countries on goodwill visits and for refuelling and crew refreshment."

India, however, had protested and "raised concerns over this but not aggressively," an Indian official had told Reuters back then.

At the moment, India seems to have an upper hand in the triangular tensions, given that Sri Lanka has officially delayed the arrival of the Chinese ship. With Beijing protesting, Colombo's next move will reveal a lot about the present geopolitical order of things between the three nations.

(With inputs from Reuters, The Hindu, and The Economic Times.)