Chinese ship set to reach Maldives amid diplomatic tensions with India

Amid escalating tensions between India and Maldives, data from global ship-tracking indicates that the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 is set to arrive in Maldives. This development follows closely on the heels of security concerns raised in India three months ago when a similar vessel was detected in the Indian Ocean. The ship embarked on its journey from the southeastern port of Xiamen over a month ago. It spent over three weeks conducting surveys in waters located just outside the exclusive economic zones of India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, as revealed by ship-tracking data.