‘Well Aware of its Presence’: Indian Navy Monitors Chinese Research Vessel Heading Towards Maldives

In a developing maritime situation, the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the movement of a Chinese research vessel — XIANG YANG HONG 03 — heading towards Male, the capital of Maldives. The ship is similar to the one that operated near Sri Lanka and against which India had expressed objections. Defense sources confirmed to CNN-News18 that the Indian Navy is well aware of the vessel's presence and has been monitoring its movement. As of now, no instances of the ship undertaking any type of research activities within the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) have been reported, sources said. The Chinese…