The Indian Navy ship asked the Chinese research vessel to move out of the Indian ocean after that the vessel left the Indian EEZ towards China
New Delhi: Recently, the Indian Navy identified a suspicious Chinese vessel from Indian waters near Port Blair. The Chinese vessel named Shi Yan 1 was spotted by a maritime surveillance aircraft of the Indian Navy when the vessel was supposedly carrying out research activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) near Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
According to government sources, the vessel could have spied on Indian activities in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. When the surveillance aircraft detected the Chinese vessel in the Exclusive Indian Economic Zone (EEZ), a Navy ship was sent to monitor the situation.
As per the sources, Indian and International laws prohibit foreign countries to carry out research or exploration countries in their waters, thus the vessel was moved out of the region.
The Indian Navy ship asked the Chinese research vessel to move out of the Indian ocean after that the vessel left the Indian EEZ towards China. It may be noted that the international maritime laws do not allow research and exploration activities in EEZs of other nations.
Recently, a P-8i surveillance aircraft of the Indian Navy had spotted seven Chinese Navy warships operating around the Indian Ocean. The aircraft specializes in long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare (LRMRASW) capabilities, had also clicked photos of the Chinese vessels during their deployment nearby Island.
The Chinese naval ships have been entering Indian waters and claimed to undertake anti-piracy operations in the region, India has been wary of Chinese presence in the region which remains central to the geopolitical developments across the globe due to key sea lines of communication (SLOCs) passing through the Indian Ocean.
Meanwhile, India vociferously backs for freedom of navigation but China’s expansion policies, including in the South China Sea, where it is locked in a bitter battle with Japan over the Senkaku Islands, have often been applied to the Indian Ocean, which Beijing has always claimed is ‘not India’s Ocean’.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are considered locationally important due to their direct connection from India, can keep an eye on the Indian Ocean region and Southeast Asia.
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