Chinese Spy Ship in the Indian Ocean, India Worry over Missile Testing
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 4: Ahead of India believed to be planning a missile test, China is alleged to have send yet another spy ship into the Indian Ocean apparently to track India’s missile testing. This comes less than three months after a similar ship had docked in the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota.
The latest Chinese spy ships being deployed in these waters by the Chinese Navy are of the same class and are designed to monitor missile tests and the movement of satellites. The latest Chinese spy ship to make the journey, the Yuan Wang VI, has now crossed into the Indian Ocean and is sailing off the coast of Bali as indicated by MarineTraffic, an online service which tracks the movement of ships.
The Yuan Wang VI ship has arrived at a time when India is believed to have issued a NOTAM to Airmen announcing its intention to test a missile on a particular date and time. Unconfirmed reports said India may test fire a missile from Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha between November 10 and11 and that the missile may fly to a range of 2,200 km.
Accordingly, an area between Sri Lanka to the West and Indonesia to the East has been blocked as an area over which the missile is expected to operate. India’s worry is that China may now be trying to track the missile it is likely to test, in the process getting vital information about its capabilities such as its trajectory, speed, range and accuracy.
India frequently tests ballistic missiles off Wheeler Island, a designated missile test range. In August this year, a sister ship of Yuan Wang VI, the Yuan Wang V had docked in the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota for about a week before returning to the South China Sea.
India’s concerns have been focused not just on the deployment of ships of the class of the Yuan Wang but also on Hambantota port, which was leased to the China Merchant Port Holdings for 99 years after Sri Lanka was unable to repay loans taken for its development. This has led to constant fears of its use for military purposes.
There were apprehensions in New Delhi then about the possibility of the vessel’s tracking systems attempting to snoop on Indian defence installations while being on its way to the Sri Lankan port. India has recently expressed serious concerns to Sri Lanka for allowing surreptitious refuelling of Chinese military ships from Chinese leased Hambantota seaport. India had also asked Sri Lanka to come up with transparent SOPs for refuelling and docking of ships and not allow Chinese military ships to dock or refuel at Hambantota or Colombo ports.
China, which is engaged in a protracted border standoff with India, holds significant sway over Sri Lanka by being its main creditor with investments in infrastructure. India, however, has been Sri Lanka’s essential-supply lifeline amid its festering economic crisis.
