Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:09am on 15 Dec 2023,Friday International
China has sought clearance from Sri Lanka and Maldives for another research vessel, the Xiang Yang Hong 03, to explore the South Indian Ocean from January till late May 2024 after Shi Yan 6 completed its controversial surveying. While India objected earlier over security concerns of enabling Chinese mapping of the seabed for military operations, the 4813-ton ship plans to dock at Colombo and Male during deep water probing. As Beijing rapidly expands its naval footprint ringing India via bases abroad, New Delhi worries about past missions scanning terrain south of the Andamans towards Africa. Despite PM Modi's protests last year, Ranil's government had greenlit Shi Yan 6 which also patrolled near Chennai. Now with intelligence inputs on the next ship's sensitive agenda, India aims to convince the island nations to deny access to safeguard strategic interests.
