Maldives Allows Chinese Research Vessel In Indian Ocean Waters Despite New Delhi's Strong Objection

An indirect geopolitical flashpoint emerged in the Maldives on Thursday as a Chinese research vessel arrived at Male port, coinciding with the presence of Indian and Sri Lankan military ships participating in a joint naval exercise. This comes amid the concerns raised by India against the Chinese vessel's entry into Indian Ocean waters.

“The Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 was moored close to Male City this morning. Around noon, the ship was shown to be near Thilafushi,” a report by Edition.mv, based on information from MarineTraffic, a platform tracking ships worldwide, said.

Maldives Govt allowed entry of Chinese vessel

The Maldives government granted permission on January 23rd for a Chinese research vessel to dock at Male port. The vessel, equipped for research and surveys, reportedly stopped for resupply and assured authorities it wouldn't conduct any research activities within Maldivian waters.

India had raised a strong objection

India raised concerns over the presence of the Chinese research vessel "Xiang Yang Hong 03" in the Indian Ocean and urged Sri Lanka to deny it port access. This comes amid the recent election of Mohamed Muizzu, seen as pro-China, who has pledged to strengthen ties with Beijing, raising concerns about potential shifts in regional dynamics.

China says 'valid as per UNCLOS'

China on the other hand maintained that its ship's activities comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“China's scientific research activities in relevant waters are for peaceful purposes and aimed at contributing to humanity's scientific understanding of the ocean,” Wang said in response to a question on the research ship's plan to dock at the Maldives.

Trilateral exercise DOSTI-16 Kickstarts

Meanwhile, the Coast Guards of Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, alongside observers from Bangladesh, started their trilateral exercise "DOSTI-16" on Thursday morning.

“MNDF welcomes participating ships from India and Sri Lanka for the Trilateral Joint Exercise 'DOSTI-16' from Feb 22-25. Coast Guards of Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, along with observers from Bangladesh, join in this biennial event to enhance collaboration between the forces,” Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said in a post on X along with the photos of the two vessels.

“The purpose of the biennial exercise is to enhance military collaboration between the three nations and explore ways the nations can work together with respect to incidents unfolding at sea,” news portal Sun.mv said.