Sri Lanka refuses Chinese spy ships permission for entry at India's request

New Delhi: ‘Chinese research vessels will not be allowed to enter our ports for the next 12 months. Also, this Chinese ship will not be able to enter our exclusive economic zone,’ Sri Lanka warned. Sri Lanka has shared this information with India. It is considered a big political victory for India. It is clear that China was trying to spy on the Indian Navy by sending marine research ships to the Sri Lankan port. For this reason, India had expressed serious concern and called upon Sri Lanka to take appropriate steps.

From 2019 till now, China sent about 48 ships under the guise of marine research. In 2023, it became clear that China sent ships to the Indian Ocean region about 25 times. These had the capability of detecting warships, submarines and ballistic missiles. Last August, China’s hydrographic vessel, Deng Jiaxian, was seen in the Sunda Strait of the Indian Ocean region. There were allegations that this ship was engaged not in research but in spying on India. However, China had denied this. By raising this issue, India has highlighted to Sri Lanka that this is an issue related to its security. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised this issue in his conversation with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

After this, given India’s defence-related interests, Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe decided to stop Chinese ships from entering his maritime zone.

Sri Lanka has released an announcement in this regard. Sri Lanka has also shared this information with India at the political level too. A country like China is trying to keep Sri Lanka under its domination. In such a situation, it is considered imp ortant for India that the Sri Lankan government has taken this decision. It is claimed to be a political victory for India.

The Chinese ship was about to enter the Indian Ocean on January 5 in the name of research. However, since Sri Lanka denied granting permission to it, it has become difficult for the ship to enter the Indian Ocean. China indicated that India should not consider the Indian Ocean region its backyard. Through this, China also warned that it would maintain supremacy in this region. However, it will not be easy for China to enter India’s sphere of influence in the future; this has become clear from the decision taken by Sri Lanka.

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