India and China have been locked in a verbal sparring in shape over a Chinese navy vessel that arrived in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port in advance this month.
The strugglefare of phrases become induced through Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong’s comments taking a veiled dig at India for its objection to the docking of the ballistic missile and satellite tv for pc monitoring ship ‘Yuan Wang five’ at Hambantota port.
In an editorial in a Chinese daily, Zhenhong stated that “outside obstruction” primarily based totally on so-referred to as safety worries with none proof is a “thorough interference” into Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence. He additionally referred to as out what he referred to as a records of aggression towards the island kingdom through “the northern neighbour”.
Firing again at Zhenhong for his “violation of fundamental diplomatic etiquette”, the Indian High Commission in Colombo stated the Chinese diplomat’s view of Sri Lanka’s “northern neighbour can be colored through how his very own u . s . a . behaves”.
“India, we guarantee him, could be very different,” the Indian venture stated in a scathing rejoinder.
The excessive fee additionally hit out at China saying “opaqueness and debt-pushed agendas” at the moment are a chief challenge, specially for smaller nations, and that current traits are a caution.
“Sri Lanka desires support, now no longer undesirable stress or needless controversies to serve any other u . s . a .’s agenda,” it stated, because the island kingdom become grappling with the worst financial disaster due to the fact that 1948.
The excessive-tech ship ‘Yuan Wang five’ become initially scheduled to reach on the Chinese-run port on August eleven however it become behind schedule withinside the absence of permission through Sri Lankan government following safety worries raised through India.
Yuan Wang five arrived in Hambantota port on August sixteen after Sri Lanka’s U-flip to permit the Chinese vessel. It become docked there for replenishment.
There have been apprehensions in New Delhi approximately the opportunity of the Chinese vessel’s monitoring structures trying to listen in on Indian defence installations whilst being on its manner to the Sri Lankan port..