The Maldives has confirmed that the Chinese “research vessel” –Xian Yang Hong 03– is set to arrive in Male on January 30. The Foreign Ministry of the island nation, however, said that the vessel would not conduct research in Maldivian territory.
China’s Xiang Yang Hong 3, which has been reportedly turned down port entry by Sri Lanka, is due to call at Male in early February, according to ship monitoring website MarineTraffic.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to inform that a diplomatic request was made by the Government of China to the Government of Maldives, for the necessary clearances to make a port call, for rotation of personnel and replenishment. The vessel would not be conducting any research while in the Maldivian waters,” the Ministry said in a statement.
The statement came after reports accused China of using the ship for “surveillance” at a time when the new Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu is deepening the ties with Beijing, distancing from New Delhi.
The Maldives Foreign Ministry said the vessel would stop only for “a port call, for rotation of personnel and replenishment”.
It further said that Maldives has always welcomed vessels of “friendly countries”, and continues to host both civilian and military vessels making port calls for “peaceful purposes”.
“Such port calls not only enhance bilateral ties between the Maldives and partner countries, but also demonstrate the centuries-old tradition of welcoming vessels from friendly countries,” it added.
Relations between traditional friends New Delhi and Male have soured since President Muizzu took office in November riding an ‘India Out’ campaign.
Both New Delhi and Beijing vie for influence on the tiny Indian Ocean nation but the new government in Male is pivoting towards China and has asked India to withdraw its nearly 80 troops stationed there.
The Chinese vessel is en route to Male, open source intelligence researcher Damien Symon wrote on social media platform X, saying Xiang Yang Hong 03 “is entering the Indian Ocean Region, displaying its destination as Male, the vessel is expected to run an ocean survey operation in the Indian Ocean Region raising concern in India”.
An Indian military official confirmed Symon’s finding and said they are monitoring its movement.
New Delhi has in the past flagged similar visits by other Chinese research vessels with its other littoral neighbour Sri Lanka, which has denied permission for such vessels to dock on its ports since 2022.
In 2019, India expelled another Chinese research vessel from its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) after it entered without permission.
A senior Indian security official said China’s research vessels are “dual use” which means the information gathered by them can be used for both civilian and military purposes, including the deployment of submarines.
Earlier this month, state-affiliated Chinese media warned against calling its maritime research in the Indian Ocean Region a threat, after an American think tank said China’s navy could “leverage the insights gained from these missions” for deployment of naval forces.
Vietnam and Indonesia have previously claimed that similar Chinese research vessels had entered their EEZ.
(With Inputs from AFP and Reuters)
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