A Chinese marine research vessel is set to arrive in Male' on January 30.
According to vessel tracking sites, the Chinese government vessel "XIANG YANG HONG 03" is now heading towards Maldives from the Java Sea. The vessel is expected to dock on January 30 in Male'.
When asked whether any Chinese survey vessels were traveling to Maldives, President's Office Communications Minister Ibrahim Khaleel said he had not received such information.
When questioned by Adhadhu in December last year, Ocean Resources Minister Ahmed Shiyam denied reports by foreign media that a Chinese vessel would arrive in Maldives this month.
The vessel, which is about 100 meters long, was added to the fleet of China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) in 2016. This is the only 4,500-ton vessel currently in China.
China vessel en route to Maldives. -- Photo: Damien Symon
Since 2019, China has also been using the vessel to conduct "distant water" and "deep sea" surveys at China's Pilot Ocean Laboratory.
The vessel can also be used for studies on salinity, microbial genetic studies, underwater mineral exploration and underwater life and environmental studies.
A Chinese survey vessel is headed towards Maldives at a time when President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu signed 20 agreements with the Chinese government during his state visit to the country earlier this month.
However, neither government has disclosed the details of the agreements.
The current government has also decided not to renew the hydrography agreement signed with India by the former administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Announcing the decision on December 14, President's Office Undersecretary Mohamed Firuzul revealed that the government decided not to renew the agreement when it expires on June 7, 2024.
The agreement - which was made to study the country's reefs and lagoons and to draw charts - requires notice of termination to be provided six months before it expires. The Indian government has now been informed that the Maldives does not wish to renew the agreement, Firuzul said.
The main reason for not renewing the hydrography agreement was to ensure that "only Maldivians" would know information about Maldivian waters, which has traditionally been the case, Firuzul said.
India opposes increasing activities by Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean region. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government has also banned Chinese research vessels from entering the country's waters for a year.
Before Sri Lanka's economic collapse in April 2022, the country took out huge loans from China. More than 10 percent of Sri Lanka's debt is owed to China. Due to failure in repaying some loans, the port in Hambantota is now controlled by China.
The United States estimates that since 2019, 48 Chinese scientific research vessels have been deployed in the Indian Ocean.
