Colombo: From next year Sri Lanka has decided to lift a ban on visiting foreign research ships imposed after strong security concerns raised by India and the US following regular docking requests from hi-tech Chinese surveillance vessels, the Japanese media reported. The change regarding the position was spoken by visiting Minister Ali Sabry, the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister to the NHK World Japan.With the increased movement of Chinese research vessels in the Indian Ocean, New Delhi expressed concern that those might be spy ships and advised Colombo not to allow such vessels to dock at ports.
In January Sri Lanka banned the entry of foreign research vessels from docking at its port, which is after India raised concern. Early this year, it had made an exception for a Chinese ship but said the ban would continue otherwise. Sabry also mentioned that his government cannot have different rules for different countries and only block China. He added that Sri Lanka will not take sides in an argument between others.The moratorium is till next January. Sri Lanka will then no longer ban foreign research ships from its ports next year, says Sabry.
From November 2023 two Chinese spy ships were permitted to dock in Sri Lanka ports within 14 months, with one calling for replenishment and the other for research. In October 2023, Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 came to Sri Lanka and docked at Colombo port, for what Beijing cited as geophysical scientific research in association with the island nation’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA).
In August 2022, to Sri Lanka, the US had stated concern which was before the arrival of Shi Yan 6, Chinese navy vessel Yuan Wang 5 docked at Hambantota in southernSri Lanka for replacement. Cash-strapped Sri Lanka recognizes that both China and India are equally important partners in its task to rearrange its external debt. In 2022 The island nation was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe scarcity of foreign exchange reserves.
However, Sabry also expressed appreciation for Japan’s plan to provide a ship that is well equipped with sonar, which, he said, will allow Sri Lanka to do its survey and, gather itsdata, and commercially exploit it. Sabry highlighted that Sri Lanka has unused maritime resources, and research is very important, but according to the NHK report it has to be done transparently. Situated at a strategic point in the Indian Ocean, the island nation is a significant stop for marine traffic between South East Asia and West Asia, which is part of the global trade route.
