BENGALURU: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Saturday said it would be inappropriate to refer to the docking of the Chinese ‘spy ship’ Yuan Wang 5 at the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota as a “flashpoint” between India and China.
In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Jaishankar said as the region gained prominence, “We will see many countries getting active in the Indian Ocean, trying to expand their influence. There will be crises. We need to take care of our national interests but can’t claim exclusivity in the region. To say that this (the permission to allow the Chinese vessel to dock at the Sri Lankan port) is a flashpoint between India and China would be inappropriate.”
He also ruled out any link between French Air Force contingent stopping over at Sulur IAF station and the Chinese ballistic missile and Yuan Wang’s docking being allowed by Lanka.