The Sri Lankan Navy announced that a Chinese warship has docked at the Colombo Port on a three-day formal visit to the island nation, almost a year after the visit of a controversial Chinese ship with ballistic missile and satellite tracking facilities. In a statement, the Navy said the warship, HAI YANG 24 HAO of China’s People’s Liberation Army, arrived in the capital city on Thursday. The 129-metre-long ship is manned by a crew of 138 and commanded by Commander Jin Xin. It will depart on Saturday, the statement added. In August last year despite security concerns raised by India about the Chinese vessel’s presence in nearby waters, the Yuan Wang 5 had docked at the Hambantota Port following delays.

At the time, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry had said that the government engaged in “extensive” consultations with “all parties concerned” with a “view to resolving the matter in a spirit of friendship, mutual trust and constructive dialogue”. It said the ship was allowed to dock on the condition that no scientific research was conducted in Sri Lankan waters. On its part, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said that the ship would conduct scientific research “in accordance with international law”.