Sri Lanka says it has granted permission for a controversial Chinese research vessel to visit the island, despite security concerns raised by neighboring India. The Yuan Wang 5 is described as a research and survey ship by international shipping and analysis websites, but according to Indian media, it is a dual-purpose spy ship. Both China and India have sought to extend their influence in Sri Lanka, which is facing the worst economic crisis in its post-independence history. India has provided more aid to Sri Lanka this year than any other nation. However, there are fears that China’s biggest and most powerful rival will use the Hambantota port near the main Asia-Europe shipping route as a military base. The Yuan Wang 5 was originally scheduled to arrive at a port in Hambadota on Sri Lanka’s southern coast on August 11, but will now arrive on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said. The visit was originally approved on July 12, a day before former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled after months of protests against the country’s economic crisis. Rajapaksa – whose brother Mahinda borrowed heavily from China while president from 2005 to 2015 – resigned after fleeing to Singapore. Tens of thousands of protesters occupied his palace and home in Colombo after accusing him of economic mismanagement that has led to acute shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Sri Lanka has leased the deep-water port of Hambadota to China for 99 years for $1.12 billion, less than the $1.4 billion Sri Lanka paid a Chinese company to build it. According to Indian reports, the Yuan Wang 5 could be used for space and satellite tracking and has specific uses in intercontinental ballistic missile launches. India’s foreign ministry said it would closely monitor “any link to India’s security and economic interests and take all necessary measures to safeguard them.” India has rejected allegations that it pressured Sri Lanka to remove the ship. “We categorically reject the ‘hint’ and such statement about India. Sri Lanka is a sovereign country and makes its own independent decisions,” said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesman for the foreign ministry.
