A Chinese spy ship that docked in Sri Lanka on Tuesday in defiance of Indian and western protests is the latest symbol of China’s power and ambition in the Indian Ocean. It is also a stark demonstration and warning of the harder edges of Beijing’s debt trap diplomacy.
The Yuan Wang 5, bristling with satellite dishes and antennas, is described by China as a ‘research and scientific vessel’. In reality it is one of the latest generation of space-tracking ships, able to monitor satellites, as well as rocket and intercontinental ballistic missile launches. There is speculation that it carries a fleet of underwater drones. It is in other words, a formidable piece of surveillance kit.
For days the Indian and American governments pressured Sri Lanka to keep the ship away. India feared it would snoop on its own installations in the region, and is concerned more generally about China’s encroachment into its transitional areas of influence. In an attempt to pressure Colombo, it even donated a Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Sri Lanka just a day before the Chinese ship’s arrival. Delhi then lodged a verbal protest with the Sri Lankan government against the ship’s visit.
Initially Colombo asked China to postpone the visit, but eventually caved in, saying the ship could dock for a week on condition it did not carry out ‘research’ while in Sri Lankan waters. Colombo bowed to a brutal reality: Sri Lanka is bankrupt, has descended into political turmoil, and China is its biggest creditor. It has reneged on its debts and needs Beijing if it is ever to restructure them – and that stifling dependency means it could not resist the pressure from China.
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