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.
The ship is a symbol of the folly of overdependence on Chinese money and the corrosive impact that can have on a country’s sovereignty
For days the Indian and American governments pressured Sri Lanka to keep the ship away.
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