China, India spar over controversial ship’s call in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port

Sri Lanka cleared the Yuan Wang 5 to dock at the Hambantota port from August 16 to 22 after initially deferring a request from the Chinese embassy

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said last month that the ship’s movements could have a bearing on its security and economic interests

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Chinese research ship Yuan Wang 5, right, is seen berthed at the Hambantota International Port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The ship was originally set to arrive Aug. 11 but the port call was deferred due to apparent security concerns raised by India. Photo: AP/File

Published: 3:51pm, 28 Aug 2022

India and China traded insults over their diverging interests in Sri Lanka, after a controversial Chinese scientific research ship called at the island nation despite New Delhi’s security concerns.

Sri Lanka “needs support, not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies to serve another country’s agenda,” the Indian embassy in Colombo said on Twitter late on Saturday, referencing the ongoing political and economic turmoil the nation is already battling after defaulting on its debt for the first time.

On Friday, the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka tweeted that the South Asian country had every right to approve a foreign vessel docking at its port.

Chinese research vessel, Yuan Wang 5 entered Sri Lanka’s Chinese-run southern port of Hambantota on August 16 despite concerns from India and the US about its activities. Photo: AFP

“External obstruction based on so-called ‘security concerns’ but without any evidence from certain forces is de facto a thorough interference into Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence,” the Chinese mission wrote.

“Some countries, far or near, always make groundless excuses to bully Sri Lanka, and trample on Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence repeatedly,” it said, without directly naming India.

Sri Lanka cleared the Yuan Wang 5 to dock at the Hambantota port from August 16 to 22 after initially deferring a request from the Chinese embassy to allow the ship a call in mid-August for replenishment purposes.

Captain Zhang Hogwang of China’s research and survey vessel, the Yuan Wang 5, waves after disembarking from the ship upon arrival at Hambantota port on August 16, 2022. Photo: AFP/File

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said last month that the ship’s movements could have a bearing on its security and economic interests.