Colombo Refuses to Dock Chinese Submarine, India Keeps Close Watch

After being refused permission by Sri Lanka to dock, the Chinese submarine is now likely to head to Karachi.

Photo used for representational purpose. File image of a Chinese submarine at an international fleet review. (Photo: Reuters)

After being refused permission by Sri Lanka to dock at Colombo, a Yuan-class conventional submarine is now likely to head to Karachi as India is monitoring the situation closely, reports The Times of India. The submarine is currently in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and was earlier intercepted or “picked up” by Indian Navy’s Poseidon-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft. The submarine is a part of the anti-piracy task force of China’s People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN).

According to a Defence Ministry source quoted in The Times of India, PLAN’s strategy in regularly sending submarines to IOR since December 2013 can be seen under “the pretext” of anti-piracy patrols.

Sri Lanka’s Refusal to Let Submarine Dock Linked With India?

On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warded off questions on reports that Sri Lanka has rejected China's request for its submarine to dock at Colombo next week after a similar visit in 2014 triggered a strong protest from India.

When asked whether China has expressed dissatisfaction to Sri Lanka for refusing to let its submarines to dock in Colombo port, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told PTI,

I have just read the relevant information. I suggest you raise it with the Defence Ministry for more details. What I can tell you is that China and Sri Lanka enjoy traditional friendship. The two sides maintain sound cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, culture and military to military exchanges,

The remarks came as China gets ready to host Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wicikramasinghe for the high-profile silk road summit on 14-15 May.

India has expressed concern over the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa's government for permitting a Chinese submarine in Colombo harbour in 2014. However, China continues to pressure the island nation for docking its submarines despite assertion by Sirisena government that it will not permit them due to concerns from India. Interestingly, China's request to dock its submarines coincided with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Colombo.

Not the First Time Chinese Submarines Have Been Tracked

Seven Chinese submarines has been tracked by the Indian Navy from December 2013 to February 2014, reports The Times of India. These have included a Shang-class nuclear attack submarine (SSN), Song and Yuan-class conventional submarines and the Shang and Han SSNs.

In terms of underwater military capacity, the difference between India and China is stark. China has over 50 submarines while India has 13 diesel-electric submarines and two nuclear submarines.

(Sources cited: The Times of India, PTI)