Military Space News
FLOATING STEEL
Chinese research ship to make Maldives resupply call
Chinese research ship to make Maldives resupply call
by AFP Staff Writers
Male, Maldives (AFP) Jan 23, 2024

The Maldives has granted permission for a controversial Chinese vessel to make a resupply call but it will not undertake any "research", the Indian Ocean archipelago nation's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

China's Xiang Yang Hong 3, which has been reportedly turned down port entry by Sri Lanka, is due to call at Male in early February, according to ship monitoring website MarineTraffic.

The vessel will "not be conducting any research while in the Maldivian waters", the foreign ministry said, following media reports from neighbouring India accusing Beijing of using the ship for "surveillance".

The Maldives said the vessel would stop only for "a port call, for rotation of personnel and replenishment".

There was no immediate comment from China.

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

Relations between Male and New Delhi have plummeted since pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu won elections last year.

Muizzu has asked India to withdraw the 89 security personnel deployed to the Maldives to operate three reconnaissance aircraft by March 15.

However, Muizzu insists he does not want to upend ties with New Delhi by replacing Indian troops with Chinese forces.

Tensions with New Delhi flared this month after three of Muizzu's junior ministers reportedly called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "clown" and a "terrorist" in since-deleted social media posts.

Bollywood actors and some of India's cricket greats responded with calls for compatriots to boycott their southern neighbour -- a popular tourist destination -- and instead book their next holidays closer to home.

Muizzu said the Maldives will also slash reliance on India for healthcare and medicine, adding more countries where citizens needing government-paid health treatment abroad can go.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has reportedly told China that the Xiang Yang Hong 3 will not be allowed access to its ports after two similar visits since 2022 raised objections from India, according to media reports on the island.

The Chinese vessel, Shi Yan 6, was allowed port access in Colombo in October, and Sri Lankan authorities later granted it 48 hours to carry out marine research following diplomatic pressure from Beijing.

Another Chinese vessel, Yuan Wang 5, which specialises in spacecraft tracking and which New Delhi described as a spy ship, visited Sri Lanka in 2022.

A pair of Chinese submarines docked in Sri Lanka in 2014, raising protests from India. Since then, Sri Lanka has not allowed Chinese submarines to enter its ports.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FLOATING STEEL
US military declares two Navy SEALs lost at sea 'deceased'
Washington (AFP) Jan 21, 2024
Two US Navy SEALs who went missing during an operation to seize Iranian weapons bound for Yemen's Huthi rebels have been declared dead after a 10-day search failed to locate them, the US military said Sunday. The Central Command (CENTCOM) had previously said that two SEALs who were reported as lost at sea were involved in the January 11 operation, in which the elite special operations personnel boarded a dhow off the coast of Somalia and seized missile components made in Iran. "We regret to anno ... read more

FLOATING STEEL
U.S. hits two more Houthi missiles in ninth Yemen attack

MBDA secures contracts to fortify Royal Navy's against ballistic threats

US Air Force, Raytheon, and Kongsberg collaborate on GhostEye MR Air Defense Test

Tranche 1 Missile Tracking Satellites by L3Harris completes review ahead of production start

FLOATING STEEL
N. Korea fires several cruise missiles towards Yellow Sea: Seoul military

N. Korea fires several cruise missiles towards Yellow Sea: Seoul military

Germany, Britain in talks over cruise missile swap for Ukraine: report

6 killed, 69 injured as Russian missiles rain down on Kharkiv, Kyiv and Pavlohrad

FLOATING STEEL
Drone attack targets US-led coalition base in Iraq

NASA Autonomous Flight Software Successfully Used in Air Taxi Stand-Ins

US drone crashes in Iraq: official

Russia downs drone near Moscow, missiles in border region

FLOATING STEEL
L3Harris Technologies showcases Waveform X capabilities in live flight demonstration

Lockheed Martin secures $890M SDA contract for advanced missile tracking satellites

Rocket Lab secures $515M contract with Space Development Agency for Tranche 2 constellation

Viasat Secures Major U.S. Air Force Contract for Advanced Tech Integration

FLOATING STEEL
Lithuania seeks Leopard tanks amid security concerns

Registration Open for DARPA Discovery Event in San Francisco

Britons should be prepared to fight a land war: army chief

NATO signs $1.2-bn artillery deal with Ukraine; Norway gears up for ammunition production

FLOATING STEEL
India fetes France's Macron at annual military parade

UK arms export licences to Israel in the dock

Aid groups say stop sending arms to Israel, Palestinian groups

Kyiv warns ammunition low as allies launch 'artillery coalition'

FLOATING STEEL
Turkey takes final step on Sweden's NATO membership

NATO kicks off largest military exercise in decades

Orban invites Swedish PM to discuss NATO accession

Swedish PM says won't negotiate with Hungary on NATO bid

FLOATING STEEL
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.