Last week, India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka held trilateral military exercises dubbed DOSTI, with Bangladesh participating as an observer. The training drills included interdiction, search and rescue, surveillance, and communication. An additional, albeit unofficial, observer was the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which positioned a “research ship,” the Xiang Yang Hong 03, near the Maldives. The PRC vessel was granted permission by the Maldivian government to resupply at the country’s main port. However, the government also prohibited the Xiang Yang Hong 03 from conducting research during the joint training exercise.

India raised concerns that the Xiang Yang Hong 03 was on a spy mission. Indian media reports suggest that the vessel had been navigating in a zigzag pattern within the waters stretching from the Maldives to Sri Lanka. The ship’s stated mission is to map the seabed; however, the Indian Navy believes that the ultimate aim is to allow the PLA Navy to plot the best routes for its submarine force to operate in the Indian Ocean. Initially, Xiang Yang Hong 03 was scheduled to call at the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka as well, but in the wake of New Delhi’s protests, the Sri Lankan government canceled the port visit.