COLOMBO: China’s space-tracking ship Yuanwang-5 has docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota International Port for replenishment purposes.
Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, Sri Lankan government officials and representatives of Chinese enterprises greeted the ship at the pier on Tuesday.
Qi told the welcoming ceremony that the Hambantota port is a key cooperation project between China and Sri Lanka under the Belt and Road Initiative.
The visit of Yuanwang-5 after sailing for more than 30 days shows that the traditional friendship between China and Sri Lanka is deep-rooted and everlasting, said the ambassador.
The Sri Lankan president’s representative Sarath Weerasekera said that the relationship between Sri Lanka and China has a long history and he believes that the call of Yuanwang-5 on Sri Lanka would help consolidate and strengthen the traditional friendly relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the development could spark worry in India, which views China’s rising influence in the Indian Ocean with suspicion.
Sri Lanka has referred to the Yuanwang-5 as a “scientific research ship,” but there are fears in India that the vessel could be used to surveil the region, with multiple media reports calling it a “dual-use spy ship”. — Xinhua/AP
