Amid India-Maldives Tension, China Research Vessel Enters Male

The Chinese Research vessel has started to pave its way towards the waters surrounding the island nation, Maldives in a plan to dock in its capital, Male. The 4,300-ton Xiang Yang Hong 03 which is classified as a ‘research ship’ is mapping the floor of the Indian Ocean amidst strained ties between India and the Maldives.

Earlier the Indian Navy pointed out that the mapping of the seabed can enable submarine operations in the geopolitically significant Indian Ocean region. The vessel which started its voyage from Sanya in China a month ago, is likely to dock in Male very shortly. India is closely watching the activities of the ‘research ship’ against the backdrop of China increasing its influence in the Indian Ocean region.

As per the purported objectives of the vessel that belongs to the Third Institute of Oceanography in China, the research ship aims to do activities including seabed mapping and mineral exploration.

Amidst the frost in India-Maldives relations, the Maldives last month said that China will not conduct any research in its waters but will only come for “rotation and replenishment”. However, India’s concern is not just limited to the waters of the Maldives it extends to other areas too where the ship has been operating. As per the NDTV report, the ship has been operating in the regions of waters between Sri Lanka and Maldives.

As per the Economic Times report, a similar vessel earlier visited the Indian Ocean and sparked New Delhi’s security concerns.

In January, as US think tank, it is said that China’s navy could “leverage the insights gained from these missions” for deployment of naval forces, a claim Beijing calls part of a concocted image-smearing “China threat” narrative.

However, China’s foreign ministry has said that the research by the vessel was “exclusively” for peaceful purposes to benefit scientific understanding.

The Indian authorities have already raised their concern regarding the presence of China’s vessels in the Indian Ocean. An Indian official has said earlier that the vessels were “dual-use” which means the data gathered could be used for both civilian and military purposes.