Sri Lanka on Saturday granted permission to the Chinese “research/survey” ship Yuan Wang 5 to dock at Hambantota Port from August 16 to 22.Colombo asserted that it intended to safeguard the legitimate interests of all countries in keeping with its international obligations — an oblique reference to security concerns raised by India over the vessel’s presence in the Indian Ocean.

There was no immediate reaction from India to Sri Lanka’s decision to allow Yuan Wang 5 — which can track missiles and satellites — to make a port of call in Hambantota.

India had last month raised security concerns over the presence of the ship close to the Indian coast, and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar is understood to have discussed this with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry when they met in Cambodia earlier this month.Following the concerns raised by India, Sri Lanka had on August 5 asked China to defer the arrival of the ship — initially scheduled to dock at Hambantota from August 11 to 16 — till further consultations without making any public reference to New Delhi.

In a detailed statement issued on Saturday evening, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said it had requested China to defer the arrival of the ship at Hambantota “in light of certain concerns raised with” the ministry.

It did not name India or the US which, according to a report in The Washington Post, too had asked Sri Lanka to deny permission to the Chinese ship to dock.Without going into the specifics of the concerns raised or identifying who had issues with the Chinese ship making a port of call at Hambantota, the Sri Lankan ministry said: “The government has since engaged in extensive consultations at a high level through diplomatic channels with all parties concerned, with a view to resolving the matter in a spirit of friendship, mutual trust and constructive dialogue, taking into account the interests of all parties concerned, and in line with the principle of sovereign equality of states. In light of concerns raised, the ministry also sought further information and material that could assist in consultations on the matter.”According to the ministry, China on Friday informed Sri Lanka that the vessel was scheduled to arrive at Hambantota on August 16 and applied for clearance for “replenishment purposes” till August 22.Having cleared the ship for docking, Sri Lanka iterated its policy of “cooperation and friendship with all countries”.

Stating that security and cooperation in the neighbourhood were of utmost priority, the ministry said: “It is Sri Lanka’s intention to safeguard the legitimate interests of all countries, in keeping with its international obligations. The ministry is deeply appreciative of the support, solidarity and understanding of all countries, especially in the current juncture when the country is in the process of addressing severe economic challenges and engaging in multiple domestic processes to ensure the welfare of the Sri Lankan people.”