Maldives government on Tuesday confirmed the arrival of Chinese 'research vessel', Xian Yang Hong 03. The Male government had permitted the docking of the ship, equipped to carry reasearch and surveys.
The Maldivian Foreign Ministry in a statement said a diplomatic request was made by the Chinese government for the necessary clearances to make a port call, for rotation of personnel and replenishment.
The vessel, Xiang Yang Hong 3, will "not be conducting any research while in the Maldivian waters", read the statement.
The statement further said that Maldives has always been a welcoming destination for "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 its partner countries, but also demonstrate the centuries-old tradition of the Maldivian people welcoming vessels from friendly countries," it said.
The Chinese ship is likely to dock at the Male port on February 8.
However, the Chinese ship enroute through Indian Ocean has raised concerns. New Delhi is closely monitoring the movement of the vessel amid India-Maldives tensions.
Reportedly, experts had raised concerns that the China ship conducting ‘research’ on India waters may pose threat to its military.
On Monday, open source intelligence researcher Damien Symon wrote on X, "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."
According to Reuters, an Indian military official confirmed the findings as well. However, no formal statement was issued by India on the vessel's movement.
Denying entry to the Chinese ship, Sri Lanka on January 5, said it has declared a moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters for a year amid concerns from India over Chinese research vessels docking in its neighbourhood.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Niluka Kadurugamuwa had said the moratorium relates to all countries and will allow local researchers to build capacity on a par with their foreign counterparts in joint research.
The Maldives is India's key maritime neighbour in the IOR and occupies a special place in its initiatives like SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy' of the Narendra Modi government.
(With PTI inputs)
