The Maldivian foreign ministry statement came after international reports that the Xiang Yang Hong 3 was coming to carry out extensive research in the Indian Ocean region. It clarified that the ship would make the port call for, “rotation of personnel and replenishment”

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The Chinese research ship the Xiang Yang Hong 3 will dock in the Maldives but will not carry out any research in Maldivian waters, the country’s foreign ministry has said.

In a three-paragraph statement, the Maldives government said China had requested, “the necessary clearances to make a port call” but added that: “The vessel would not be conducting any research while in Maldivian waters.”