Over deferring visit of ship to Hambantota, Sri Lanka confirms talks with China

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Colombo,
Aug
09:
Sri
Lanka
on
Monday
confirmed
that
it
has
communicated
to
China
to
defer
the
visit
of
Chinese
vessel
Yuang
Wang
5
to
Hambantota
port.

In
a
statement,
the
Sri
Lankan
foreign
ministry
said
the
Chinese
vessel
Yuan
Wang
5
was
scheduled
to
dock
at
Chinese-leased
Hambantota
port
on
August
11
for
refuelling
and
leave
on
August
17,
news
agency
PTI
reported.

“The
Ministry
has
communicated
to
the
Embassy
of
the
People’s
Republic
of
China
in
Colombo
to
defer
the
visit
of
the
said
vessel
to
the
Hambantota
port,”
it
read.

New
players,
old
rules:
Sri
Lanka’s
bond
with
China
‘dangerous’
for
India

The
Foreign
Ministry
further
stated
it
wishes
to
reaffirm
the
enduring
friendship
and
excellent
relations
between
Sri
Lanka
and
China
which
remain
on
a
solid
foundation,
as
reiterated
most
recently
by
the
two
Foreign
Ministers
Ali
Sabry
and
Wang
Yi
at
a
bilateral
meeting
in
Phnom
Penh
on
August
4.

“At
this
first
meeting
between
the
two
Foreign
Ministers,
Minister
Sabry
referred
to
Sri
Lanka’s
firm
commitment
to
the
one-China
policy
which
has
been
a
consistent
principle
in
the
country’s
foreign
policy,” the
statement
read
further.

Meanwhile,
reacting
to
the
media
reports
over
the
vessel,
the
Chinese
foreign
ministry
said
that
Beijing
“always
exercises
freedom
of
the
high
seas
in
accordance
with
law
and
fully
respects
coastal
countries’ jurisdiction
over
scientific
research
activities
in
waters
under
their
jurisdiction.”

China
also
urged
“relevant
parties”
to
see
its
marine
scientific
research
activities
in
a
rational
light
and
stop
disrupting
normal
exchange
and
cooperation
between
China
and
Sri
Lanka.

“It
is
completely
unjustified
for
certain
countries
to
cite
the
so-called
“security
concerns” to
pressure
Sri
Lanka,”
it
said.

India
had
expressed
its
security
concerns
over
the
docking
of
the
vessel
at
Hambantota
as
it
was
shown
as
a
research
vessel
while
the
spy
ship
can
map
the
ocean
bed
which
is
critical
to
anti-submarine
operations
of
the
Chinese
Navy.

Designated
as
a
research
and
survey
vessel,
Yuan
Wang
5
was
built
in
2007
and
has
a
carrying
capacity
of
11,000
tonnes.

During
this
significant
visit
to
the
key
Sri
Lankan
port,
it
could
conduct
satellite
research
in
the
northwestern
part
of
the
Indian
Ocean
region,
prompting
security
concerns
for
India.

Hambantota
port,
located
around
250
kms
from
Colombo
was
built
with
high-interest
Chinese
loans.

The
Sri
Lankan
government
struggled
to
repay
the
debt
they
had
taken
from
China
following
which
the
port
was
handed
over
to
the
Chinese
on
a
99-year
lease.