Spy planes spot China warship in south IOR

The P-8I Poseidon spy planes of the Indian Navy recently detected Chinese amphibious warship Xian-32 in the southern Indian Ocean region earlier in September. Photographs of Landing Paltrorm Dock Xian 32 were clicked by the P-8I surveillance aircraft before it entered Sri Lankan waters, it was reported.

A news agency quoted the Indian Navy as saying, "The P-8I tracked another Chinese frigate that is part of its anti-piracy escort task force deployed in Gulf of Aden to provide security to Chinese merchant vessels from Somali sea pirates."

This comes almost a fortnight after Indian intelligence agencies warned that China was allegedly spying on Indian Naval bases in the Indian Ocean through its advanced surveillance ship in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

An intelligence agency report, which was accessed by Zee News, had said that China had regularly been sending its surveillance ships in the IOR to gather more details about the Indian Naval bases and the warships deployed in the area. The report further said that the Chinese Navy had recently deployed one of its latest intelligence-gathering ships — Dongdiao class ship Tianwangxing — in the IOR to keep an eye on Indian Naval installations.

The Chinese spy ship had entered into India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and stayed there for a few days. The Chinese spy ship was spotted very close to the eastern sea border near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the report said.

The report also suggested that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship Tianwangxing intruded into the EEZ and remained close to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the east coast of India for nearly two weeks.