Chinese ‘research ship’ Yuan Wang 5 re-enters Indian Ocean after three years

Three years after its controversial entry into the Indian Ocean, China’s Yuan Wang 5 — a vessel officially designated as a ‘research ship’ but widely recognised as a sophisticated intelligence-gathering platform — has once again been tracked near the region, sparking fresh concerns in India’s security establishment.

According to Indian and Bangladeshi naval sources, the ship was located at 11.0288 S and 100.9873° E at 02:38 UTC (around 8:10 pm IST) on Saturday through the Automatic Identification System (AIS). The vessel has been under close watch since it left Indonesia about 36 hours earlier, with Bangladeshi naval officers noting its likely trajectory toward the Bay of Bengal.

While Dhaka has been openly monitoring the ship’s movements, Indian authorities have remained tight-lipped. However, sources in the national security and intelligence agencies have admitted that the vessel’s entry is being taken “very seriously” given its advanced space-tracking and surveillance capabilities.

This marks the second time in three years that the Yuan Wang 5 has sailed into waters close to India. In August 2022, the ship docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port despite strong objections from New Delhi. At the time, Beijing defended the deployment as “marine scientific research” consistent with international law, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin asserting that the vessel’s movements “should not be obstructed by any third party.”

The Yuan Wang 5 belongs to China’s latest generation of space-tracking ships, used to monitor satellite launches, rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Its presence so close to the Indian Ocean littoral has long been interpreted by defence analysts as part of Beijing’s expanding military footprint in the region.

The timing of its return has added to strategic unease in India, coinciding with the just-concluded US-Bangladesh joint exercise Pacific Angel-2025 in Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. Around 120 officers from the United States Air Force (USAF) participated in the drill with Bangladesh Army and Air Force personnel, departing the country on Saturday, September 20.

Analysts in New Delhi caution that the renewed presence of the Yuan Wang 5 may not only be aimed at satellite-tracking but could also provide Beijing with valuable intelligence on regional military activities — particularly as India and the United States deepen security cooperation in South Asia.

- Agencies