Sri Lanka is contemplating India’s request to block the Chinese Survey and Research Vessel Shin Yan 6 from participating in joint military scientific research with Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA).

This research is set to take place within Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone between late October and November this year. While President Wickremesinghe didn’t firmly commit to any decision during his meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Colombo on October 11, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali Sabry had earlier stated that permission was granted to the Chinese ship for docking at Colombo deep seaport in November.

In his remarks to Sri Lanka’s The Island newspaper on October 9, Minister Sabry emphasized that Sri Lanka intends to steer clear of the “big power rivalry” involving China, India, and the United States.

The Chinese research vessel, Shin Yan 6, is presently stationed 1000 kilometers east of the China-controlled Hambantota port within Sri Lanka. It has remained in that location for the past two weeks and is well-supplied with nearly 2000 tonnes of diesel, sufficient to last for another two weeks.

Hambantota Port Controversy:

The involvement of China in Sri Lanka, particularly in projects like the Hambantota Port, dates back to 2010 when Sri Lanka signed an agreement with China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort), a state-owned Chinese enterprise. The objective was to develop and manage the port, along with building associated infrastructure such as highways and industrial zones. This move was part of China’s broader Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aimed at enhancing trade and connectivity between China and other nations.

However, the Hambantota Port project encountered financial difficulties. Sri Lanka struggled to repay the loans it had secured from China to fund the development. In 2017, grappling with a mounting debt crisis, the Sri Lankan government agreed to lease the Hambantota Port and some of its adjacent land to CMPort for a duration of 99 years in exchange for debt relief.

This lease agreement triggered concerns about China’s influence and control over this strategically situated port in the Indian Ocean. Critics argued that this arrangement could potentially have military implications, and some were apprehensive that Sri Lanka might be ceding excessive control to China. Consequently, the lease agreement ignited both domestic and international controversy.

Over the past five years, Chinese vessels have been increasingly active in the Indian Ocean Region, coinciding with the expansion of the People’s Liberation Army Navy into a full-fledged blue water navy. The number of vessels, encompassing warships, ballistic missile trackers, survey, and research vessels, has been on the rise, surging from 29 in 2019 to 39 in 2020, 45 in 2021, and 43 in 2022. As of September 15 this year, authorities have recorded 28 Chinese ships actively operating in the region.