Colombo, Sri Lanka, has decided to lift from next year a ban on the visit of foreign research vessels imposed after strong security concerns raised by India and the United States following frequent docking requests by high-tech Chinese surveillance vessels , Japanese media reported.
The change in position was communicated by Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry to NHK World Japan.
With the movement of Chinese research vessels in the Indian Ocean increasing, New Delhi had expressed concern that they could be spy vessels and urged Colombo not to allow such vessels to dock at its ports.
After India raised concerns, Sri Lanka in January banned foreign research vessels docking at its port. Earlier this year, it had made an exception for a Chinese vessel but said the ban would continue otherwise.
Sabry said his government can't have different rules for different countries and only block China. He added that his country will not take sides in a dispute between others, NHK World Japan said in a report on Friday.
The moratorium is until January of next year. Sri Lanka will no longer ban foreign research vessels from its ports next year, Sabry said.
Two Chinese spy ships were allowed to dock at Sri Lankan ports within 14 months until November 2023, one for resupply and the other for research.
The Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 arrived in Sri Lanka in October 2023 and docked at the port of Colombo, for what Beijing cited as “geophysical scientific research” in collaboration with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA). ) of the island nation.
The United States had expressed concerns to Sri Lanka before the arrival of Shi Yan 6.
In August 2022, the Chinese navy ship Yuan Wang 5 docked in Hambantota, southern Sri Lanka, to resupply.
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka sees both India and China as equally important partners in its task of restructuring its foreign debt.
The island nation was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe shortage of foreign exchange reserves.
Meanwhile, Sabry also expressed gratitude for Japan's plan to provide a sonar-equipped ship which he said will give Sri Lanka "the opportunity to do its own study and collect its own data, and exploit it commercially."
Sabry emphasized that Sri Lanka has untapped maritime resources and that research is essential but must be carried out in a transparent manner, the NHK report added.
Located at a strategic point in the Indian Ocean, the island nation is an important stop for maritime traffic between Southeast Asia and West Asia, which is part of the global trade route.
The change in position was communicated by Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry to NHK World Japan.
With the movement of Chinese research vessels in the Indian Ocean increasing, New Delhi had expressed concern that they could be spy vessels and urged Colombo not to allow such vessels to dock at its ports.
After India raised concerns, Sri Lanka in January banned foreign research vessels docking at its port. Earlier this year, it had made an exception for a Chinese vessel but said the ban would continue otherwise.
Sabry said his government can't have different rules for different countries and only block China. He added that his country will not take sides in a dispute between others, NHK World Japan said in a report on Friday.
The moratorium is until January of next year. Sri Lanka will no longer ban foreign research vessels from its ports next year, Sabry said.
Two Chinese spy ships were allowed to dock at Sri Lankan ports within 14 months until November 2023, one for resupply and the other for research.
The Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 arrived in Sri Lanka in October 2023 and docked at the port of Colombo, for what Beijing cited as “geophysical scientific research” in collaboration with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA). ) of the island nation.
The United States had expressed concerns to Sri Lanka before the arrival of Shi Yan 6.
In August 2022, the Chinese navy ship Yuan Wang 5 docked in Hambantota, southern Sri Lanka, to resupply.
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka sees both India and China as equally important partners in its task of restructuring its foreign debt.
The island nation was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe shortage of foreign exchange reserves.
Meanwhile, Sabry also expressed gratitude for Japan's plan to provide a sonar-equipped ship which he said will give Sri Lanka "the opportunity to do its own study and collect its own data, and exploit it commercially."
Sabry emphasized that Sri Lanka has untapped maritime resources and that research is essential but must be carried out in a transparent manner, the NHK report added.
Located at a strategic point in the Indian Ocean, the island nation is an important stop for maritime traffic between Southeast Asia and West Asia, which is part of the global trade route.
