Chinese Spy Ship Denied Port Entry in Blow to Xi

Sri Lanka has rejected a request from China to allow an oceanic research vessel to dock and operate within its maritime zones, officials said on Sunday, in a win for India and a blow to the geopolitical ambitions of Chinese leader Xi Jinping .

This decision to deny the Xiang Yang Hong 3 's port access for an entire year followed a meeting last July between Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Sri Lanka 's President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in which Modi was said to have emphasized New Delhi's security concerns.

China's desire to conduct "deep water exploration" in the south Indian Ocean has been a point of contention, according to a report on Monday by the Indian daily Hindustan Times . Chinese state media accused Colombo of succumbing to a pressure campaign by New Delhi.

China 's Foreign Ministry has yet to comment publicly on the matter this week and did not immediately respond to Newsweek 's written request for comment before publication.

The 4,864-tonne Xiang Yang Hong 3 , homeported in the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen, also sought permission from Beijing-friendly President Mohammed Muizzu of the neighboring Maldives to survey waters near its capital, Male, the Hindustan Times said, although it remained unclear whether any decision would be announced publicly.

The vessel, which researchers in the West say gathers intelligence for the Chinese military, can carry up to 80 individuals from multiple units of the Ministry of Natural Resources , according to the website of its constituent Third Institute of Oceanography.

Previously, Chinese research ships , ballistic missile trackers, and hydrographic vessels have been active in the Indian Ocean region, notably conducting deep surveys of the 90-degree ridge south of India's Andamans and Nicobar Islands.

Seafloor mapping aids in underwater resource exploration but also facilitates safer operations for the Chinese navy's growing fleet of submarines . Beijing's spy ships have been spotted in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean in recent years.

The United States has sought to court India for a strategic partnership aimed at countering China. Lingering political differences notwithstanding, Washington remains keenly interested in New Delhi's dealings with Beijing and other adversaries of the West.

China's nationalistic Global Times newspaper said Indian influence was to blame for Sri Lanka's decision to deny the Xiang Yang Hong 3 's docking rights. An analyst at a state-backed think tank in Beijing told the tabloid that it was a result of India 's overreaction to another research vessel's port call in Colombo last fall.

Sri Lankan authorities allowed the Shi Yan 6 to dock at the Port of Colombo on October 25 for replenishment purposes, but no research activities were permitted, officials said at the time.

"However, as India's influence there has increased to varying degrees, its neighbors increasingly find challenging to act independently without considering India's attitude ," the Global Times said.

The newspaper, citing discussions between Chinese and Sri Lankan officials, said the Xiang Yang Hong 3 had been expected to conduct research within Sri Lanka's exclusive economic zone , which extends 200 nautical miles from a state's coastline, according to international maritime law.

The state-run tabloid accused New Delhi of treating the Indian Ocean as part of its sphere of influence .

In contrast to the coverage in Beijing, Indian media outlets hailed Sri Lanka's decision as a significant victory for India. The move effectively canceled the planned activities of the Xiang Yang Hong 3 , which were scheduled to run from January 5 until late May.

In a November 2018 report for the U.S. Naval War College, researchers Peter Dutton and Ryan Martinson linked China's oceanographic research to the People's Liberation Army Navy.

"Civilian oceanographers also support the PLAN through their efforts to model oceanic processes. Especially important are the dynamic elements of the ocean battlespace environment, such as surface and subsurface currents, tides, and surface and subsurface waves," the authors said.

As of Wednesday, the Xiang Yang Hong 3 remained moored at China's Xiamen port, according to the vessel tracking service MarineTraffic.