Sri Lanka asks China to defer arrival of ship

SRI LANKA has asked China to defer the planned visit of a Chinese survey ship to the island country after an objection from India, a government source said.

The Chinese research and survey vessel, Yuan Wang 5, was still on its way to Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port. It is scheduled to arrive there on Aug. 11, according to shipping data from Refinitiv.

India worries that the Chinese-built and leased port of Hambantota will be used by China as a military base in India’s backyard. The $1.5bn port is near the main shipping route from Asia to Europe.

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday (7).

Last week, a spokesperson for the Sri Lankan government said the ship was only stopping at Hambantota for refueling.

China is one of Sri Lanka’s biggest lenders and has also financed airports, roads and railways, unsettling India.