Sri Lanka seeks delay in visit from Chinese ‘spy’ ship to Beijing-run Hambantota port after pressure from India

The Yuan Wang 5 is en route from the Chinese port of Jiangyin and due in the Chinese-run Sri Lankan port of Hambantota on Thursday.

Indian media reports said New Delhi was worried the Yuan Wang 5 would be used to spy on its activities and that it lodged a complaint with Colombo

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The Yuan Wang 5 is en route from the Chinese port of Jiangyin and due in the Chinese-run Sri Lankan port of Hambantota. Colombo officials have asked the ship delay its trip after pressure from India, claiming the vessel will be used for spying.. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Published: 8:29am, 7 Aug 2022

Sri Lanka has asked China to indefinitely delay a visit by a ship reported by Indian media to be a spy vessel, following intense pressure by the island’s northern neighbour, official sources said on Saturday.

The Yuan Wang 5 is en route from the Chinese port of Jiangyin and due in the Chinese-run Sri Lankan port of Hambantota on Thursday, according to analytics website MarineTraffic.

It is described as a research and survey vessel, but according to Indian broadcaster CNN-News18 is a dual-use spy ship, employed for space and satellite tracking and with specific usage in intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

Indian media reports said that New Delhi was worried the vessel would be used to spy on its activities and that it had lodged a complaint with Colombo.

India remains suspicious of China’s growing influence in its southern neighbour Sri Lanka.

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