Why Sri Lanka has declared a one-year pause on foreign research vessels

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The presence of Chinese Navy ships docked in Sri Lanka has long worried India. Now, the South Asian country is imposing a one-year pause on granting permissions to foreign research vessels to operate in its waters, delivering a significant blow to China. Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Ali Sabry said, there were frequent docking requests from Chinese surveillance ships and the decision was taken in a bid to prevent Chinese ‘research-cum-spy’ ships from docking at Lankan ports. “The government is considering a year-long moratorium on granting permission for foreign research vessels to conduct surveys in Sri Lankan waters or her exclusive...