COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has decided to impose a one-year moratorium in allowing foreign vessels to conduct research in the island nation’s territorial waters from January, foreign minister Ali Sabry has said, amid frequent docking requests from Chinese surveillance ships. The Sri Lankan government has communicated its decision to the relevant countries, Sabry told the Daily Mirror newspaper.
The move comes in the wake of China seeking permission to berth yet another research vessel in Sri Lanka’s waters in January, the report said. China despatches its research/surveillance vessels to Sri Lanka regularly. In August this year, a PLA navy warship arrived in the country on a two-day visit. Another Chinese research vessel docked at the Colombo port in October despite India’s objections.