Finance
Despite security concerns raised by India about the vessel’s presence in nearby waters, a controversial Chinese ship with ballistic missile and satellite tracking facilities docked in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port.
Port workers greeted the Yuan Wang 5 with enthusiasm, waving Sri Lankan and Chinese flags, while the ship, which will remain docked until August 22, displayed a large banner reading “Hello Sri Lanka,” according to CNN.
However, the arrival of the ship appears to have heightened tensions between New Delhi and Beijing, both of which have spent billions of dollars on development and deals with Sri Lanka, a 22-million-person island on a vital trade route.
The Yuan Wang 5 requested permission to dock at the port last week, but the visit was postponed after concerns about the ship’s presence were raised, though India denied putting any pressure on Colombo.
According to CNN, China claims the ship is used for scientific research, but the US Defense Department claims it is under the command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and is capable of tracking satellites and missile launches.
On August 13, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said the government had engaged in “extensive” consultations with “all parties concerned” with a “view to resolving the matter in a spirit of friendship, mutual trust and constructive dialogue”.
It stated that the ship had been granted docking permission on the condition that no scientific research be conducted in Sri Lankan waters.
The arrival of the ship was always going to be contentious, given that China leased the Hambantota port from Sri Lanka in 2017 for 99 years after Colombo failed to pay debts related to the facility’s construction.
At the time, there were concerns that the agreement would give China access to a critical shipping route, bringing it within India’s traditional sphere of influence. According to CNN, the presence of a ship loaded with advanced technology has made Sri Lanka’s neighbors nervous.
According to a US Defense Department report published last year, the vessel is under the command of the PLA’s Strategic Support Force (SSF), “a theater command-level organization established to centralize the PLA’s strategic space, cyber, electronic, information, communications, and psychological warfare missions and capabilities”.
“The SSF also operates Yuan Wang space support ships that track satellite and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches,” the report said.
Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, told CNN that New Delhi was likely concerned about the ship’s presence in Sri Lanka because of its monitoring capabilities.
“Spying is not her primary mission, her primary mission is satellite tracking and monitoring PRC rocket launches, telemetry, and satellite status, but that same capability can and often is employed to monitor other countries’ satellite operations, downlinks and missile telemetry,” he said.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday the ship is conducting scientific research “in accordance with international law”.
It “does not affect the security and economic interests of any country, and should not be interfered with by third parties”, spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Source:OCN
