Despite India's worries that it would spy on New Delhi's military facilities, authorities said Sri Lanka's government on Saturday authorised a contentious Chinese research vessel to visit the island. International shipping and analytics websites refer to the Yuan Wang 5 as a research and survey vessel, however, Indian media describes it as a dual-purpose espionage ship.
Indian analysts have failed to understand that Sri Lanka has no cause to be concerned about China in the strategic sphere, unlike in the case of the immediate Indian neighbour, where proximity has cut both ways.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe reportedly held a closed-door meeting with China s Ambassador Qi Zhenhong after Colombo sought a deferment of the planned docking.
According to reports, the Sri Lankan government has asked China to defer the arrival of Yuan Wang 5 ship at Hambantota port.
The Chinese space-satellite tracker ship was set to refuel at the Lankan port. The ship built in 2007 can also be used in intercontinental ballistic missile launch with wide aerial scope to track regions with a parameter of 750 kms. Reports claimed Sri Lanka has deferred the ship's arrival until further consultations with Chinese authorities.