Scientific research ship ‘Yuan Wang 5’ of the People’s Republic of China, docked at the Hambantota International Port (HIP) on yesterday (August 16) It will remain at HIP for 7 days for replenishments and ship chandelling.
China’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, attended a ceremony held at the Hambantota International Port to mark the Yuan Wang 5’s arrival.
Port workers at Hambantota gave an enthusiastic welcome to the Yuan Wang 5, waving Sri Lanka and China flags, while the ship displayed a large banner reading: “Hello Sri Lanka.”
However, the ship’s arrival appears to have aggravated tensions between New Delhi and Beijing, who have both spent billions of dollars on development and deals with Sri Lanka, an island of 22 million people that sits on a key trading route.
