‘Monitoring all developments’: India on Chinese naval vessel’s visit to Colombo

India has been strengthening partnerships in the Indian Ocean region to counter China's growing presence.

Updated on: Aug 12, 2023, 01:15:01 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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NEW DELHI: A day after a Chinese naval vessel docked at Colombo port in Sri Lanka, India on Friday said it carefully monitors any development that has a bearing on the country’s security interests and takes measures to defend them.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel Hai Yang 24 Hao, known to have surveillance capabilities, arrived at Colombo port on Thursday for a formal visit, the Sri Lankan Navy said. The vessel is due to leave on Saturday.

“I have seen reports of a Chinese ship there. I am not sure whether it is a warship or not,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in response to a question on the issue during a weekly media briefing.

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“Having seen these reports, I would emphasise that the government carefully monitors any development having a bearing on the country’s security interests and takes all necessary measures to defend them,” he said.

The visit by the Chinese vessel to Sri Lanka comes a year after the docking of the Yuan Wang 5, a vessel used by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to track satellites and ballistic missiles, at the Chinese-controlled Hambantota port triggered a diplomatic row between India and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka had allowed the Yuan Wang 5’s visit in 2022 despite protests from India and the US. The Indian side was particularly irked as the visit occurred after New Delhi extended considerable financial assistance to Colombo to tide over an unprecedented economic crisis.

The Sri Lankan Navy said the 129-metre-long Hai Yang 24 Hao has a crew of 138 and is commanded by Commander Jin Xin. People familiar with the matter said New Delhi has apprehensions about the vessel’s ability to conduct surveillance on naval facilities and ships in southern India.

The Indian side has also been bolstering arrangements with partners in the Indian Ocean to counter China’s growing forays into regional waters, including visits by vessels such as Yuan Wang 5 and Hai Yang 24 Hao, the people said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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