China’s spy vessel Shi Yan 6 docks in Sri Lanka, raising Indian concerns.

Delhi: The docking of Chinese survey vessel Shi Yan 6 at Sri Lanka’s Colombo port has triggered fresh concerns in India. Without taking India’s hostilities, the Chinese vessel, known for maritime and seabed surveys, is set to conduct a maritime survey in Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone. This move is part of China’s decade-long strategy to expand its naval presence and bases across the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the Indian Ocean.

Point to be noted that Sri Lanka, burdened with a $7 billion debt to China, has found it difficult to refuse such obligations. The island nation had previously handed over its Hambantota port to China as part of a debt equity swap agreement.

India’s concerns stem from China’s growing naval footprint in the Indian Ocean, with ports in Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, UAE, and Djibouti. This expansion could potentially harm India’s security interests, as China could use these ports for sea and access denial in the future.

Last year, the docking of the Chinese ballistic missile tracker Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota had already caused alarm in India. The Shi Yan 6, capable of monitoring and experimenting on the seabed, could pave the way for future submarine operations of the Chinese PLA Navy as early as 2025, further escalating India’s concerns. Relations between both the nations are sailing in rough waters, so India should watch and act very cautiously in current scenario.