After no to China, SL lets Pak warship dock at Colombo

New Delhi, August 10

The Chinese tracking and survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 has changed course and does not seem to be approaching Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port after Colombo, on India’s prodding, told Beijing to defer its port call.

While the Chinese vessel is unlikely to dock at Hambantota, Colombo has allowed a Pakistani warship to make a port call at Colombo while on its way to join the Pakistan Navy in Karachi.

Brand new vessel

• The brand new Pakistani warship ‘Taimur’ started its journey from Shanghai
• Manufactured in Shanghai, it had docked in Malaysia en route
• The ship is expected to be at Colombo port from August 12 to 15

The brand new Pakistani warship ‘Taimur’ had started its journey from Shanghai where it was manufactured and had docked in Malaysia en route. The ship is expected to be at Colombo port from August 12 to 15. According to Maritimeoptima.com, a digital vessel tracking platform, the Chinese vessel is currently at some 600 nautical miles away from Hambantota port and appeared to be slowing down its speed as well as changing course.

After External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told his Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry that the docking of the Chinese spy vessel had security implications for India, the Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry asked China to defer its visit, which was cleared by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa a day before he fled the country. In an about-turn, the Sri Lankan government had requested the Chinese government to defer the visit of its research vessel Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota port “until further consultations” were made on the matter. The denial of permission reportedly came after India, Sri Lanka’s biggest benefactor in its current economic turmoil, let it be known that the vessel’s arrival would have security implications.