Chinese research ships will not be allowed to come to Sri Lanka – Hindustan Times says Sri Lanka promised India

India’s Hindustan Times website has reported that Sri Lanka has informed India that no Chinese research ship will be allowed to enter the country’s port for a year.
The Hindustan Times further reports that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken this step following Indian Prime Minister Modi Urging Wickremesinghe to respect India’s strategic and security interests.
The 31st December issue of ‘The Hindustan Times states, “Sri Lanka has informed India that it will not allow any Chinese research vessel to dock at its ports or operate within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for one year. The move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged President Ranil Wickremesinghe to respect Indian strategic and security concerns. Sri Lanka’s decision means that the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 will not be granted clearance to conduct deepwater exploration in the south Indian Ocean.”
‘Hindustan Times’ further states, “This means that Chinese scientific research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3, which was scheduled to conduct “deep water exploration” in the south Indian Ocean from January 5, 2024, to late May, will not be granted clearance by Sri Lankan authorities. China has also asked the current pro-Beijing Mohammed Muizzu regime in Maldives to let the 4,600-tonne Xiamen-based vessel conduct a survey off the coast of Male.”
When the Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 came for marine research recently, India protested. Still, the Ranil Wickramasinghe-Pohottu government acted to allow it based on the anniversary of the diplomatic relations between this country and China.
Nearly 50 Chinese research vessels operate on the eastern and western coasts of the Indian Ocean, which has angered both India and the United States.
India considers Chinese research ships to be spy ships.