There has been tension between Male and New Delhi since Mohammed Muizzu became the President of Maldives.
First, Indian soldiers were asked to return from Maldives and then Muizzu started making friendship with China.
As soon as China became closer, Dragon has also started its game. Actually, taking advantage of this, China has sent its survey ship to Maldives. China has been accused of spying through ships.
At the same time, this is a matter of concern for India as well as Maldives and that is why India is keeping its eyes on this ship. Three months ago also a similar ship had reached the Indian Ocean, due to which tension had also increased.
The ship Jiang Yang Hong 03, owned by a research institute reporting to China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, has arrived at a port in the Maldives’ capital Male. A month ago, the same ship had left its home port of Xiamen in southeast China.
However, Maldives says that this ship will not conduct any research in its waters and is only stopped for personnel rotation and supplies, but even after this, concerns have increased.
According to news agency Reuters, ship tracking data shows that the ship had spent more than three weeks surveying the waters just outside the exclusive economic zones of India, Maldives and Sri Lanka before reaching the Maldives.
China’s Foreign Ministry has said that the ship’s research has arrived for the benefit of scientific understanding. An Indian security official had earlier said that the ships were ‘dual-use’, meaning the data they collect could be used for both civilian and military purposes.
Jiang Yang Hong 03 has visited the Indian Ocean many times. It passed through the Sunda Strait in Indonesia in 2021, alarming Indonesian officials who said it had shut down its tracking system three times.
Chinese research ships have also stopped in nearby Sri Lanka. At the same time, in 2022, Yuan Wang 5, a military ship capable of monitoring rocket and missile launches, reached Colombo, worrying India.
Let us tell you that the last time a Chinese research ship stopped in Sri Lanka was in October 2023. Due to this the tension had increased. But in January, the island nation imposed a one-year ban on foreign research vessels.
The arrival of the Jiang Yang Hong 03 ship follows Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu’s January visit to China, which improved ties.
20 agreements including tourism have been signed between China and Maldives. Beijing also offered 920 million yuan ($128 million) in free aid.