Sri Lankan Mano Ganesan (Top Right Corner) and Chinese Research Vessel Yuan Wang 5 in Background

Sri Lankan MP Mano Ganesan on Tuesday questioned the government over the proposed docking of a Chinese tracking ship in Hambantota port and asked whether China is bringing the Indo-Sino war to Sri Lankan waters.

“Is China bringing Indo-Sino war to Srilankan waters and soil? When an US carrier goes closer to Taiwan seas, PR China boils and reacts strongly. Isn’t India justified in doing the same when China brings naval surveillance vessel Yuan-Wang to Hambantota,” Ganesan, a Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader, questioned Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe in a tweet.

The newly formed government of the island nation is facing a backlash from its own leaders over the proposed visit of the Chinese spy ship Yuan Wang to its Hambantota port next week. The southern deep-sea port of Hambantota is considered strategically important for its location.

The port, located in the hometown of the Rajapaksa family, has been developed largely with Chinese loans.

Yuan Wang 5 is expected to dock in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port from August 11-17 for ‘replenishment’ and will conduct satellite control and research tracking in the north western part of the Indian Ocean region through August and September.

Meanwhile, India had expressed its concern over the presence of a Chinese tracking ship in Sri Lankan waters. Earlier, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India is carefully monitoring any development having a bearing on its security and economic interests.

The proposed visit by the vessel comes when Sri Lanka is grappling with a severe economic crisis.