Chinese spy ship Yuan Wang 5’s impending Sri Lanka visit and why India is concerned

India

oi-Deepika S

New
Delhi,
Aug
10:
Yuan
Wang
5,
the
Chinese
research
and
Survey
vessel,
en
route
to
the
Hambantota
Port
in
Sri
Lanka
has
sent
alarm
bells
to
South
Asian
countries,
especially
India.

The
vessel
in
question
is
supposed
to
come
to
Hambantota
Port
on
August
11
and
stay
there
until
August
17.

What
is
Yuan
Wang
5?

The
Yuan
Wang
5
is
a
dual-use
spy,
research,
and
survey
vessel
which
is
employed
for
space
and
satellite
tracking
and
with
specific
usage
in
intercontinental
ballistic
missile
launches.

It
is
a
third-generation
tracking
ship
of
the
Yuan
Wang
Series,
which
came
into
service
on
September
29,
2007,
and
was
designed
by
China’s
708
Research
Institute,
according
to
News
18.

It
is
a
highly
sophisticated
missile
range
instrumentation
ship
with
top-of-the-line
antennas
and
electronic
equipment
to
support
the
launching
and
tracking
of
missiles
and
rockets,”
the
report
adds.

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

This
vessel
is
in
control
of
the
People’s
Liberation
Army
(PLA)
under
its
Strategic
Support
Force
(SSF)
unit.
The
SSF
focuses
on
space,
cyber,
and
electronic
warfare.

Why
India
is
concerned?

The
move
has
raised
India’s
concerns
as
the
vessel,
Yuan
Wang
5,
is
equipped
to
track
space,
satellites,
and
intercontinental
ballistic
missiles.

New
Delhi
has
questioned
the
real
purpose
of
the
Chinese
spy
ship’s
sail
which
has
a
range
of
more
than
750
km
as
a
security
threat
to
strategic
installations
in
the
southern
Indian
states.

The
spy
ship
can
bring
on
its
radar
India’s
largest
nuclear
power
plants
situated
in
Kalapakkam
and
Koodankulam,
Tamil
Nadu.

The
ties
between
India
and
Sri
Lanka
had
come
under
strain
after
Colombo
gave
permission
to
a
Chinese
nuclear-powered
submarine
to
dock
in
one
of
its
ports
in
2014.

India
protests
against
Yuan
Wang
5
visit

On
July
12,
amidst
the
political
turmoil
in
Sri
Lanka,
the
then
government
approved
the
Chinese
vessel’s
docking
at
the
Hambantota
port.

The
southern
deep-sea
port
of
Hambantota
is
considered
strategically
important
for
its
location.

‘Senseless
to
pressure’
Lanka:
China
after
Colombo
asks
it
to
defer
arrival
of
its
ship
over
India’s
concerns

The
port,
located
in
the
hometown
of
the
Rajapaksa
family,
has
been
developed
largely
with
Chinese
loans.

According
to
media
reports
in
Colombo,
India
has
informed
Sri
Lanka
that
the
docking
of
the
high-tech
Chinese
research
vessel
could
pose
a
threat
to
its
national
security.

Sri
Lanka
received
strong
messages
of
protests
from
India
as
the
ship
was
said
to
have
the
capability
to
track
satellites
and
intercontinental
ballistic
missiles,
the
report
said.

India
has
said
it
carefully
monitors
any
development
having
a
bearing
on
its
security
and
economic
interests.

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

“The
government
carefully
monitors
any
development
having
a
bearing
on
India’s
security
and
economic
interests
and
takes
all
necessary
measures
to
safeguard
them,”
he
said
last
month.

New
Delhi
is
concerned
about
the
possibility
of
the
ship’s
tracking
systems
attempting
to
snoop
on
Indian
installations
while
being
on
its
way
to
the
Sri
Lankan
port.

Sri
Lanka
asks
China
to
defer
spy
ship
visit

Sri
Lanka’s
foreign
ministry
has
asked
the
Chinese
embassy
in
Colombo
to
defer
the
planned
visit
of
Chinese
spy
ship
Yuan
Wang
5
to
a
Lankan
port
until
further
consultations,
after
India
raised
concerns
over
the
potential
presence
of
a
Chinese
military
vessel
so
close.

The
permission
to
dock
was
given
by
former
Lankan
president
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa
before
he
fled
the
country
amid
the
economic
crisis.

“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
Lankan
foreign
ministry
said
in
a
letter
to
the
Chinese
embassy.