Chinese missile and satellite tracꩲking ship 'Yuan Wang V' has exited the Indian Ocean after spending over a week in the region, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday.
The Chinese spy ship, known to be fitted with various tracking and surveillance devices, entered the Indian Ocean around December 5 ahead of a plan by India for a likely test firing of a long-range ballistic missile in𝓀 the Bay of Bengal, they said.
The Indian Navy kept a c🧸lose eye on the m✨ovement of the ship.
The doc🌳king of the ship at Hambantota port in 🐓August triggered a diplomatic row between India and Sri Lanka.
Open-source intelligence expert Damien Symon on Monday tweeted that "Yuan Wang 5, #China's missile and satellite trac🦂king vessel has entered the #IndianOcean region."
There was no official comment on𒀰 either entry or exit of the ship from the Indian Ocean Region.
The visit of the Chinese ship to the Indian Ocean comes amid increasing concerns over growing forays into the region by Chinese mᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚi♑litary and research vessels.
India is𝓰 bolstering defence and security ties in the Indian Ocean with like-minded countries in the backdrop of concerns over China's growing forays into the region, considered the backyard of the Indian Navy.
