Colombo port welcomes Indian, Chinese warships on the same day 

Sri Lanka's Colombo port welcomes Indian and Chinese warships, highlighting strategic interests in the region.

Sri Lanka’s main port in the capital Colombo on Monday (August 26, 2024) welcomed India’s frontline warship ‘INS Mumbai’, as well as three warships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, piquing interest in the island nation that is familiar with the two powers’ strategic contest.

Indigenously built destroyer ‘INS Mumbai’, on its first port call in Sri Lanka, will stay for three days. The 163-metre-long destroyer is manned by a 410-member crew, and its commander Captain Sandeep Kumar called on the Commander Western Naval Area Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe, a statement from the Sri Lankan Navy said. The ship’s visit marks the eighth visit of Indian Navy ships to Sri Lanka this year, according to the Indian High Commission in Colombo.

Meanwhile, Chinese PLA warships ‘Hefei’, ‘Wuzhishan’ and ‘Qilianshan’, too, arrived in Colombo Monday morning. “To strengthen the camaraderie between the two navies, crew members of these ships are set to participate in a series of programmes organised by the Sri Lanka Navy,” an official statement said, adding that the vessels’ commanders would meet Sri Lanka’s Western naval commander. Both crews are scheduled to visit tourist attractions, the Sri Lankan Navy said.

The concurrent visit of Indian and Chinese naval warships has drawn attention in Sri Lanka, as India’s reservations on port calls by Chinese research vessels are well known. In the last few years, India has voiced concern with the Sri Lankan government on multiple occasions.

Following frequent messages from New Delhi, as well as Washington DC, objecting to the visit of Chinese research vessels, Sri Lanka banned the visit of foreign research vessels beginning January 2024. However, speaking to Japanese media in July 2024, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ali Sabry hinted at possibly lifting the ban on foreign vessels next year. “We cannot have different rules for different countries and only block China. We will not do that. We will not take sides,” Mr. Sabry said in an interview.

Last month, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo hosted a reception to mark the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Earlier in August, the Sri Lankan Navy welcomed three U.S. naval warships that were on a replenishment visit.