In a heated exchange of words sparked by a Chinese military ship docking in a contentious Sri Lankan port, India has accused China of “weaponizing the Taiwan Strait”.
The accusation, which the Indian high commission in Sri Lanka referred to in a statement on Sunday, is reportedly the first time the Indian government has used the descriptor, and it represents a rare Indian government intervention on the cross-straits issues as India deals with tensions along its own border with China.
A Chinese military research vessel had a weeklong docking at the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka earlier this month. The Yuan Wang 5 is one of several Chinese ships used by the People’s Liberation Army to track satellite, rocket, and intercontinental ballistic missile launches, according to analysts.
India opposed to the docking of the Yuan Wang 5, raising concerns that Beijing intended to exploit the port as a military base, which caused a delay of several days. “The vessel was performing maritime research in accordance with international law and practise,” according to China’s foreign affairs ministry, and would not jeopardise “the security and economic interests of any country.”
The Yuan Wang 5 have been gone for a week, but over the weekend, China’s embassy in Sri Lanka accused India of meddling with Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence “de facto thoroughly.”
Sri Lanka “needs help, not unwanted pressure or needless controversies to suit the objective of another country,” the Indian high commission in Colombo stated on Saturday. Additionally, it made reference to “debt-driven objectives,” possibly in reference to the Hambantota port, which was sponsored by China and is frequently linked to claims of Chinese debt-trap diplomacy.
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
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