The Sri Lankan government has allowed a Chinese research vessel to remain in a major port on the island despite concerns raised by India that it is spying on New Delhi’s military installations.

International maritime monitoring and data analysis platforms report that Yuan Wang 5 is a research vessel, but Indian media consider it a spy ship.

The Indian authorities are concerned about the growing influence of China in the Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka, which New Delhi considers part of its sphere of influence. The Yuan was originally scheduled to stop at the Chinese-administered port of Hambantota on August 11, but Colombo repeatedly delayed the ship’s mooring date in the face of Indian protests.

Sri Lanka Port Authority Officer, Nirmal B. Silva: “Today I received permission for a ship to stay in Hambantota from 16 to 22 August.” Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources confirmed that “Colombo has renewed the permit issued on 12 July”.