Yuan Wang 5: Chinese surveillance vessel

News Highlight

• Ahead of an Indian missile test, the Chinese spy ship Yuan Wang 5 has been spotted in the Indian Ocean.

Key Takeaway

• The Chinese spy ship Yang Wang 5 is thought to be outfitted with equipment for tracking ballistic missiles and satellites.
• India has expressed concern about the Yuan Wang 5’s spying activities.

Chinese spy ship Yuan Wang 5

• What’s Chinese’ Yuan wang 5?
  • According to China, the Yuan Wang 5 is a scientific research vessel.
  • However, it has been reported that it is a dual-purpose ship with military applications.
  • According to the US Department of Defense, Yuan Wang 5, a ballistic missile and satellite tracking vessel, is run by Chinese military personnel.
  • Yuan Wang 5 is a third-generation vessel of the Yuan Wang series that entered service in 2007.
• What are India’s concerns over ‘Yuang Wang 5’?
  • Indian concerns over the Chinese spy ship Yuang Wang 5 are twofold.
  • One of India’s main concerns is China’s intrusion into what it sees as its vital territory.
  • Two, Chinese spying activities through the ship.
  • The likelihood of the ship’s tracking equipment trying to spy on Indian defence facilities worries the Indian authorities.
  • The ship might be utilised for oceanographic surveys, aiding the Chinese in organising submarine operations.

Similar incidents

• Chinese ship spotted in Indian Waters.
  • In 2019, the Indian Navy successfully repulsed a Chinese ship that had trespassed into Indian waters close to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • Shi Yan I, a suspected Chinese research vessel operating in India’s exclusive economic zone, was discovered close to Port Blair (EEZ).
  • Every coastal nation has an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that stretches 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its coastline.
  • It is entitled to all marine resources, including fish, oil, and natural gas.
  • The Indian Navy’s stand at the time was, “if you have to do anything in our EEZ, you have to notify us and take permission.”

Indian Ocean Region

• Chinese Interventions
  • The first-ever IORF was introduced by the China International Development Cooperation Agency of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on November 21.
  • The meeting was attended by representatives and former leaders from over 19 Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries.
  • There was no representation from India during this meeting.
  • The most recent development shows Beijing’s desire to formalise its influence in IORF and undermine the status quo in India in its immediate neighbourhood.
  • China’s ambitions in the Indian Ocean have been motivated by three factors:
    • Beijing’s primary goal is to challenge other great powers, like India, and consolidate its hegemony as the new international order emerges in the Indo-Pacific.
    • Beijing’s dependence on the Indian Ocean, which determines its foreign policy and global power, is second.
    • Third, by establishing new institutions with IOR nations, China can demonstrate its power and influence from the China Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Pic Courtesy: freepik

Content Source: The Hindu

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