Chinese spy ships visiting Lanka to collect info about India and mineral, ecological treasure in Gulf of Mannar

The increase in frequency of visits by Chinese spy ships to Sri Lanka is part of a wider strategy of not only collecting information about vital strategic assets in southern India and New Delhi's role in the region but also to gather information about ecological and mineral treasure in the Gulf of Mannar.

There is a pattern in Chinese activities through these spy ships in Sri Lankan waters and Colombo has succumbed to pressure from Beijing given Lanka's indebtedness, said people familiar with the Chinese strategy.

China owns 52% of Sri Lanka's bilateral debt, and Beijing's approval is crucial for any effort by Colombo to restructure its outstanding loans.


China is also using Hambantota port to refuel its warships and other ships that are present at any given point in time across western-eastern and southern Indian Ocean regions.

India, therefore, has reasons to worry and has been raising the matter with Colombo, people said. Colombo has assured that it won't allow India's strategic interests to be compromised.

The Gulf of Mannar endowed with three distinct coastal ecosystems namely coral reef, seagrass bed and mangroves is considered one of the world's richest regions from a marine biodiversity perspective. The area is known for its unique biological wealth and is a store house of marine diversity of global significance. The Gulf's 4,223 species of plants and animals representing from primitive to higher forms make it one of the richest coastal regions in India.

The Mannar Basin, which lies between southern India and northwestern Sri Lanka, may hold around $260 billion worth of oil and gas resources. A natural gas field was reportedly discovered for the first time in Mannar Basin in 2011, but Colombo has not yet capitalised on this treasure, which could potentially address Sri Lanka's energy requirements for the next 60 years.

Last week, Sri Lanka said that it had granted 48 hours for a Chinese vessel to conduct marine research off the island's west coast under supervision, the foreign ministry said, notwithstanding Indian concerns that it could be a spy ship.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Kapila Fonseka had said Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6, which has been in Colombo since last Wednesday (October 25), would be allowed to carry out work for two days starting Monday (October 30). Earlier, Sri Lanka allowed the vessel to enter the main port of Colombo only for 'replenishments'.

India remains suspicious of China's increasing presence in the Indian Ocean and its influence on Sri Lanka, which is strategically placed halfway along key east-west international shipping routes.