Chinese ‘research ship’ reaches Maldives amid security concerns in Indian Ocean

A Chinese research ship arrived in the Maldives on Thursday, just three months after a similar ship visited the Indian Ocean and sparked security concerns in New Delhi, global ship-tracking data shows.

The visit follows January comments by a US think tank that China’s navy could “leverage the insights gained from these missions” to deploy naval forces, a claim Beijing says is a fabricated image-tarnishing of a “China threat”. ” says part of the story.

The Jiang Yang Hong 03, owned by a research institute reporting to China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, made a port call in the Maldivian capital Male, MarineTraffic data showed, after leaving its home port of Xiamen in southeastern China. More than a month after.

Ship-tracking data shows that before its arrival, the civilian ship had spent more than three weeks surveying the waters just outside the exclusive economic zones of India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

China’s Foreign Ministry stated that research by the ship was “exclusively” for peaceful purposes for the benefit of scientific understanding.

In recent years, India has expressed concern about the presence of Chinese research vessels in the Indian Ocean, even if they do not belong to the military.

An Indian security official previously said the ships were “dual-use”, meaning the data they collect can 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.

In 2022, Yuan Wang 5, a military vessel capable of tracking rocket and missile launches, arrived in Colombo, worrying India.

The last time a Chinese research ship stopped in Sri Lanka was in October 2023, again raising India’s concerns. But in January, the island nation imposed a one-year ban on foreign research vessels, effectively denying China a port of call.

The arrival of Jiang Yang Hong 03 follows Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s January visit to China, which upgraded ties, with Beijing offering 920 million yuan ($128 million) in “free aid.”

The Maldives has said the ship will not conduct any research in its waters, stopping only for personnel rotation and replenishment of supplies.

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