Sri Lanka is becoming the new arena for India and China, both have deployed their warships

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) now appears to be emerging as a new strategic arena for China and India. An example of this was seen on Monday, when an Indian warship arrived at the port in Colombo, Sri Lanka and coincidentally three Chinese warships also arrived there. The special thing is that earlier also India has lodged its objection with Colombo over the stay of Chinese warships, spy boats and submarines in Sri Lanka.

Indian Naval Ship INS Mumbai arrived at Colombo Port on Monday on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka. Incidentally, three warships of the Chinese Navy also arrived at Colombo Port today. The Sri Lanka Navy said in a press release that the Indian Naval Ship ‘Mumbai’ is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka. The Indian High Commission said in a press release on Sunday that INS Mumbai is a 163-meter long destroyer ship with a crew of 410 members. The High Commission said that this is the first time this ship has visited a Sri Lankan port.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Navy said that three warships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ‘He Fei’, ‘Wuzhishan’ and ‘Qilianshan’ also arrived at the Colombo port on a ceremonial visit on Monday morning. ‘He Fei’ is a 144.50 meter long warship, which has 267 crew members on board, while ‘Wuzhishan’ is a 210 meter long warship, which has 872 crew members on board, while ‘Qilianshan’ is a 210 meter long warship, which has 334 crew members on board.

A press release issued by the Sri Lankan Navy said that upon the arrival of the ship, its commander Captain Sandeep Kumar met the Commander of the Western Naval Area Rear Admiral Chintaka Kumarasinghe at the Western Naval Command Headquarters. During the ship’s stay in Colombo, its crew members will visit some tourist centers in the country, the release said.

“A session on operational functions of the ship will be conducted for Sri Lankan Navy personnel on board INS Mumbai,” it said. According to the release, INS Mumbai will also engage in joint activities with the Sri Lankan Navy such as sports, yoga and cleaning of coastal area etc. INS Mumbai will also participate in a ‘Passage Exercise’ with a Sri Lankan Navy ship off the Colombo coast on August 29. The indigenously built INS Mumbai was commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 22, 2001.

what did the experts say

Speaking to the Times of India, an Indian defence official said, “China’s warships, which are also part of its anti-piracy escort forces, are now staying in the IOR for longer periods than before.” He said, “With the presence of the Chinese Navy in the IOR, Beijing’s constant search for additional logistical facilities in the region has become a big challenge for India.”

now what next

At present, all eyes are on the Sri Lankan presidential election to be held on September 21. It is being said that Indian President Ranil Wickremesinghe may prove to be a better candidate than Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power, who is considered to be a supporter of China.

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