As India prepares to possibly test-fire a long-range ballistic missile in the Bay of Bengal, the Chinese spy ship “Yuan Wang 5,” which is known to be equipped with various tracking and surveillance devices, has entered the Indian Ocean region, according to people with knowledge of the situation on Tuesday. According to information obtained, the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the movements of the Chinese ship that is tracking satellites and ballistic missiles.
A diplomatic dispute between India and Sri Lanka was brought on by the ship’s mooring at the Hambantota port in August.
Damien Symon, a leading proponent of open source intelligence, tweeted on Monday that “Yuan Wang 5, #China’s missile and satellite tracking vessel, has entered the #IndianOcean region.”
The claims of the spy ship being in the Indian Ocean region have received no official response.
India recently sent out a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen/Notice to Air Missions) regarding a missile launch in accordance with established protocol.
In light of the presence of the Chinese spy ship, it is unclear if India will move forward with the planned missile launch.
According to experts, the Chinese vessel was last spotted in the Sunda Strait of Indonesia.