China’s envoy plays down controversy over Chinese research ship docking in Sri Lanka | World News,The Indian Express
India has traditionally taken a stern view of Chinese military vessels in the Indian Ocean and has protested such visits with Sri Lanka in the past.
China’s envoy in Sri Lanka on Tuesday played down the controversy surrounding the arrival of a high-tech Chinese research ship at the southern port of Hambantota, calling such visits “very natural”.
Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship ‘Yuan Wang 5’ arrived in the southern port of Hambantota at 8.20 am local time. It will be docked there till August 22.
The ship was originally scheduled to arrive at the port on August 11 but it was delayed in absence of permission by the Sri Lankan authorities.
Sri Lanka had asked China to defer the visit amid India’s concerns over it. On Saturday, Colombo granted the port access to the vessel from August 16 to 22.
Sri Lanka said the security clearance was granted from the Ministry of Defence for the visit of the vessel for replenishment purposes during the stipulated period.
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