A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman had previously defended the port visit.
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A 4,500-ton Chinese high-tech spy ship that docked at a Maldivian port last week disguised as a scientific research vessel has now left the Maldivian coast, local media reported on Wednesday.
According to the official statement, the Chinese warship “Xiangyanghong 3” is “calling at the port for personnel rotation and replenishment.” “Xiangyanghong 03 has returned to the border of the Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) after docking at the Port of Male on February 22. However, despite having departed from the Port of Male, the tracking site shows that the ship is near Hulhumale The last signal was sent two days ago,” news portal Adhadhu.com said.
Hulhumale is located less than 10 kilometers northeast of Male. The ship docked at Thilafushi, about 7.5 kilometers west of Male, on February 23.
“The ship is expected to have turned off its tracking system, and it also turned off its tracking system en route to Male on January 22 when it was in the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia,” the report said.
The news portal also provided some details about the Xiangyanghong 03 ship model. The 100-meter-long ship joined China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) fleet in 2016. This is currently the only 4,500-ton ship. China. The statement said that since 2019, China has also used the ship to conduct “pelagic” and “deep sea” surveys at China’s leading marine laboratory.
The vessel can also be used for salinity research, microbial genetics research, underwater mineral exploration, and underwater life and environment research. It has data buoys that measure ocean currents, waves and important environmental information. The report said the buoys would provide the Chinese government with real-time satellite information.
On January 5, while denying the entry of Xiangyanghong 03, Sri Lanka stated that due to India’s concerns about Chinese scientific research ships docking near it, Sri Lanka had announced a one-year suspension of foreign scientific research ships from entering its waters.
Incidentally, the Chinese ship was seen near the India-Maldives-Sri Lanka trilateral Dosti-16 exercise held in waters off Male from February 22 to 25.
Earlier on January 23, the new Maldives government, which is friendly to China, said it had allowed the scientific research vessel, equipped with research and survey equipment, to dock at the Port of Male, adding that the suspension was for replenishment and “will not be suspended during the voyage.” Do any research”. in Maldivian waters. A US think tank claimed that China’s vast “scientific research” fleet was collecting data from the ocean, including the Indian Ocean region, for military purposes, particularly submarine operations, but Beijing denied the accusation. The actions of the Chinese vessels were consistent with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously defended the visit of a Chinese scientific research ship to the Maldives, saying that “China’s scientific research activities in the relevant waters are for peaceful purposes and aim to contribute to mankind’s scientific understanding of the ocean.”
The Maldives borders India, just 70 nautical miles from Minicoi Island in the Lakshadweep Islands and 300 nautical miles from the west coast of the mainland, and its location at the hub of commercial shipping lanes across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it an important position. strategic importance.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
