Sri Lanka requests China to delay sending ship after India’s pressure: Report

New Delhi: In a U-turn, Sri Lanka has asked China to indefinitely delay a visit by a ship following intense pressure by India, official sources said Saturday.

The denial of permission reportedly came after India, Sri Lanka’s biggest benefactor in its current economic turmoil, let it be known that the vessel’s arrival would have security implications, according to Tribune.

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.

In a written request, the Sri Lanka foreign ministry told the Chinese embassy in Colombo not to go ahead with the visit, an official involved in the process told AFP on Saturday.

“The ministry wishes to request that the arrival date of the vessel Yuan Wang 5 in Hambantota be deferred until further consultations are made on this matter,” the request says.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured political party leaders on Friday that the controversial visit will not go ahead as planned, according to a report published in the NDTV.

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

Some 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.

“We are aware of reports of a proposed visit by this vessel to Hambantota in August,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said last week when asked about the reports of a proposed visit by a Chinese vessel.

Earlier this week, Colombo appeared to brush aside Indian concerns, saying the vessel was coming only to refuel and replenish supplies and would not undertake any work in Sri Lankan waters, reported the NDTV.

India objected strongly when two Chinese submarines berthed in Sri Lanka in 2014. – INDIA NEWS STREAM