India keeps watchful eye on Chinese ship's visit to Sri Lankan port

The 'Yuan Wang 5' will conduct satellite control and research tracking in the Indian Ocean

China has funded many projects in the commercial capital of Colombo and in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. Getty

India said it will be monitoring the planned docking of a Chinese ship in a port in crisis-hit Sri Lanka.

Research and survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 is en route to the southern Sri Lankan port of Hambantota and is expected to arrive on August 11.

India tracks any development with a bearing on its security and economic interests and takes measures to safeguard them, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.

Rival nations are trying to expand their influence in the strategic island nation of Sri Lanka.

China has a major say in the Hambantota Port, the commercial activities of which were handed over to Beijing in 2017 on a 99-year lease after Sri Lanka failed to pay its debts.

“China in the camouflage of the Belt and Road Initiative is militarising the Indian Ocean and this is a preliminary measure,” Srikanth Kondapalli, Delhi-based China expert, told The National. “In the event of war between India and China and Pakistan, China could disrupt the maritime trade in the region.”

Yuan Wang 5, a third-generation tracking ship, will dock for a week to conduct satellite control and research in the Indian Ocean, consultancy Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka said.

“The Yuan Wang 5 will conduct space-tracking, satellite control and research tracking in the north-western part of the Indian Ocean region through August and September,” it said.

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  A nurse checks on a premature baby at the Castle Street Hospital for Women in Colombo. Lahiru Harshana / The National

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  Consultant Dr Saman Kumara with nursing staff at the Castle Street Hospital for Women in Colombo. Lahiru Harshana / The National

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  Dr Saman Kumara, a consultant neonatologist. Lahiru Harshana / The National

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  Dr Saman Kumara says life saving equipment to monitor the health of infants and save babies from respiratory distress is required in Sri Lanka. Lahiru Harshana / The National

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  A nurse treats a sick child in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo. AFP

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  Sri Lanka expatriates in the UAE send vital medical supplies back home to a nation reeling from a foreign exchange crisis. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Medical supplies needed urgently by hospitals in Sri Lanka are packed in a warehouse in Dubai's Ras Al Khor area. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  A mother with her child waits for medicines at the pharmacy in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo. AFP

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  A mother sits beside her child in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children. AFP

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  A mother with her child speaks to a nurse in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children. AFP

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  A pharmacist attends to a man in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children. AFP

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  A health worker packs medicines in the hospital. AFP

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  People queue to get medicine from the outpatient department during strike action at the National hospital in Colombo. EPA

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  Patients wait to receive drugs at Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Colombo. Getty Images

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  A man stands outside a pharmacy in Colombo. Getty Images

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  Pharmacists arrange drugs at Colombo South Teaching Hospital. Getty Images

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  A patient stands with his mother outside Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Colombo. Getty Images

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  A deserted outpatient department during the island-wide strike at the National hospital in Colombo. EPA

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  Mudiyansege Chandrawathi, a cancer patient, has a drink after attending a clinic at the national cancer hospital in Maharagama, a suburb of Colombo. AP Photo

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  A hospital worker carries a tray of drugs at a government-run hospital in Colombo. AP Photo

China is one of Sri Lanka's biggest lenders and has also funded its airports, roads and railways.

New Delhi is concerned that the $1.5 billion Hambantota Port will become a Chinese military base and will use research ships for maritime surveillance and to gather intelligence, particularly around India.

A Chinese naval vessel which docked in Colombo in 2014 drew New Delhi’s ire.

India provides significant financial support for its cash-strapped neighbour, currently going through economic and political instability, and provided a $500 million line of credit for fuel.

It has also pledged support of more than $3.8bn for “ameliorating the serious economic situation” in Sri Lanka, beyond sending tonnes of rice, medicine and milk powders to the ailing country since April.