Male: A 4,500-tonne high-tech Chinese research ship, which was docked for a week at the Maldives around two months ago despite India's concerns, has returned to the archipelago nation, according to local media reports. The Maldivian government has not disclosed the reason for the return, but had granted permission for the ship to dock before the first visit.
Xiang Yang Hong 03 was docked at the Thilafushi industrial island's harbour on Thursday morning, the Maldivian media reported on Friday. This comes amid strained ties between India and the Maldives, as pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu further consolidated his position by securing a supermajority win in the parliamentary elections on April 21.
"The ship has now come back after skirting the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Therefore, Xiang Yang Hong 03 has been active inside or near Maldives territory since January," read Maldivian news portal Adhadhu.com. The ship had earlier docked on February 23 at the same Thilafushi port, about 7.5 km to the west of Male.
The hi-tech ship reached Maldivian waters on February 22 after spending about a month near the boundary of the Maldives' EEZ. About six days later, the ship went back to the EEZ boundary. The Maldivian foreign ministry said the Xiang Yang Hong 3 was here to “make a port call, for the rotation of its personnel and replenishment” after a diplomatic request was made by the government of China to the government of Maldives.
India's concerns over Chinese ships
The vessel's zigzag movements between the Maldives and Sri Lanka had heightened concerns in New Delhi, reflecting broader anxieties over China's expanding influence in the Indian Ocean Region. India's apprehensions extend beyond the immediate vicinity of the Maldives, encompassing the broader strategic implications of the Chinese vessel's activities.
India has flagged similar visits by other Chinese research vessels with its other neighbour Sri Lanka, which has denied permission for such vessels to dock in its ports since 2022. In the first half of August last year, India raised concerns over a Chinese surveillance warship that docked at the Colombo Port.
Sri Lanka had delayed the arrival of the Chinese vessel after concerns raised by India. The concerns stemmed from the possibility that the vessel's tracking systems could be used to spy on Indian defence installations while it was on its way to Sri Lanka. In 2021, India expressed strong concerns over a similar visit by Yuan Wang 5 - a Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship - to Hambantota Port. In 2019, India expelled another Chinese research vessel from its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) after it entered without permission.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson has previously defended the port call by the Chinese research ship to the Maldives saying, “China’s scientific research activities in relevant waters are for peaceful purposes and aimed at contributing to humanity’s scientific understanding of the ocean.” “The vessel would not be conducting any research while in the Maldivian waters,” the Foreign Ministry said on January 23.
The Maldives' proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland's western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.
About Xiang Yang Hong 3
The 100-metre-long vessel was added to the fleet of China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) in 2016. This is the only 4,500-tonne vessel currently in China. Since 2019, China has also been using the vessel to conduct ‘distant water’ and ‘deep sea’ surveys at China's Pilot Ocean Laboratory, according to reports.
It has data buoys that can measure ocean currents, waves, and important environmental information, providing real-time satellite information to the Chinese government. Incidentally, the Chinese vessel was present near the India-Maldives-Sri Lanka trilateral Dosti-16 exercise that took place in the ocean near Male between February 22 and 25.
On January 5, Sri Lanka, while denying entry to the Xiang Yang Hong 03, said it has declared a moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters for a year amid concerns from India over Chinese research vessels docking in its neighbourhood.
An American think-tank has alleged that a vast fleet of China's “scientific research” ships is collecting data from the oceans, including in the Indian Ocean Region, for military purposes, especially for submarine operations, a charge denied by Beijing, which said the Chinese vessels operations are in line with the UN Convention on Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).
(with PTI inputs)
