The occurrence takes place against the backdrop of a diplomatic dispute that erupted between New Delhi and Colombo last year over the docking of the Yuan Wang 5, a ship used by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to track satellites and ballistic missiles, at the Chinese-controlled Hambantota port in New Delhi. In an effort to allay India’s concerns on port calls by Chinese warships, the Sri Lankan government is about to release a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for visits by foreign ships or aircraft, including military assets.
In order to strengthen the close connections and interoperability between the Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy, the Indian Naval Ship “Khanjar,” a Khukri-class missile corvette built entirely in India, lands at Trincomalee. (ANI)
People familiar with the initiative in both Sri Lanka and India said on the condition of anonymity that the SOP, which will include guidelines and information about the kinds of vessels to be allowed into Sri Lanka’s ports and territorial waters, are expected to be formally announced by authorities in Colombo soon.
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The development takes place against the backdrop of a diplomatic dispute that erupted between New Delhi and Colombo last year over the docking of the Yuan Wang 5, a ship used by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to track satellites and ballistic missiles, in the port of Hambantota that is under the jurisdiction of China. In August 2023, the Hai Yang 24 Hao, a different PLA Navy ship with surveillance capabilities, paid a visit to Colombo port.
“The SOP will specify the kinds of ships that are permitted to conduct port calls. For instance, the type of warships and submarines that are capable of visiting Sri Lankan ports. According to one of those cited above, the SOP will also specify how long the vessels may stay in the nation’s territorial waters and the kinds of activities they may do.
According to a second Indian source with knowledge of the program, “The guidelines and SOP are fine, but what will matter are actions taken on the ground.”
The Chinese vessels’ potential use of their equipment to snoop on Indian security facilities while in Sri Lankan waters is the Indian side’s main worry, according to the sources.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, the president of Sri Lanka, made reference to the SOP this month in New York while taking part in the annual Indo-Pacific Islands Dialogue hosted by Carnegie Endowment. He argued that the new SOP was developed after consultations with the Indian side and based upon existing protocols established by the Sri Lankan Navy.
“We recently spoke with India, and we have finally accepted all of the changes. Therefore, any ships that arrive right now are doing so in accordance with an operation protocol that we developed with India. I don’t see any ship entering through that operating method that poses a concern,” Wickremesinghe added.
Source- Hindustan times