India Accused Beijing of Militarization of the Taiwan Strait

Over the years, Indian diplomats have been known for their carefully worded statements. Throughout the border stand-off between India and China, India has exercised caution and decided to settle the differences quietly through diplomatic engagements. But this week, there has been a significant shift in India’s tone towards Communist China.

Earlier this month, a Chinese military research ship, Yuan Wang 5, docked at Sri Lanka’s port for a week. Analysts said People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operates the vessel to monitor rocket, satellite, and missile launches for research purposes. The docking was supposed to happen last month, but India objected amid fear that PLA intended to use the port as a military base. Previously, Sri Lanka refused to dock the ship at the port, but CCP pressurized Sri Lanka and they complied. But according to sources, the vessel did not conduct any research activities.

The vessel left the port a week ago, but the Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, wrote an article in a Sri Lankan newspaper slamming India for using security concerns to pressure Sri Lanka not to allow the vessel to dock at the port. In response, The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka posted a few tweets criticizing the Chinese ambassador, saying he violated the ‘basic diplomatic etiquette.’ It also referred to CCP’s debt-driven agendas on small nations. Furthermore, another tweet accused Beijing of “militarization of the Taiwan Strait.”

For the first time, the Indian government has accused CCP of the Taiwan issue, and this is a rare intervention on the cross-straits issues as India contends with tensions on its border with China.