By Sanjib Kr Baruah  Courtesy The Week

China’s research vessels possess dual capability with both civilian and military use

Representation. Hambantota port in Sri Lanka

The planned docking of the Chinese research vessel Shi Yang 6 in the Colombo and Hambantota ports is meant to engineer a crack in the bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka, a top source in India’s military establishment told THE WEEK.

“The move to dock the Shi Yan 6 in the Sri Lanka ports with due approval from the island authorities is a huge smart strategic move by China and should be seen by India as such,’ the source said on condition of anonymity.

“For China, the Shi Yan 6—with its planned underwater and hydrographic survey—will be able to collect all sorts of data required for any future operation, including movement by Chinese submarines by mapping the terrain on the sea bed.”

“On the other hand, Sri Lanka is looking at data on sediment thickness of the continental shelf so that its sea territorial claims can be made before the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).”

“At the moment, Sri Lanka’s territorial claim on the seas is excessive and is therefore on the lookout for sedimentation data which it hopes the Shi Yan 6 will be able to provide,” the source added on condition of anonymity.

In variance with past practices, the Chinese ship has this time sought the permission of the Sri Lankan defence ministry which has been granted although the area of operation of the Shi Yan 6 is yet to be finalised. 

The Shi Yan 6 is expected to arrive in Colombo port on October 26 and operate in the vicinity of the island nation in its stay for 17 days until November 10. The ship’s considerably long presence so very close to India’s coastline is fraught with security implications.

According to UN laws, one of the ways in which a coastal state may establish the outer limits of its juridical continental shelf wherever the continental margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles is by establishing the commonality of sediments.

While the Shi Yan 6 may be categorised as a research and survey vessel, most such Chinese ships are dual use vessels with both civilian and military uses. In this effort, the Chinese are partnering with Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA). 

Chinese research and survey ships operating near Sri Lankan waters have been controversial because of vehement opposition by India which suspects military intentions.

In November 2022, India protested forays by the China spy ship Yuanwang 6 into the waters of the Indian Ocean Region as the ship’s movement was suspected to be linked to planned ballistic missile tests by India.

In August 2022, ignoring Indian protests, another ship, the Yuanwang 5, had dropped anchor for a week-long stay from August 16 to 22 at the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota. Partly owned by Chinese state-owned companies, Hambantota is a deep sea port that is strategically located in the southern coast of the island nation.

In deep economic distress, Sri Lanka is positioned between the two powers India and China both of whom Colombo cannot afford to anger. While China is Sri Lanka’s biggest single creditor, it was India that bailed out the island nation for economic chaos with a US$ 4 billion handover in 2022.