Chinese spy vessel Yang Wang-5 leaves Indian Ocean Region

The docking of the ship at Hambantota port in August had triggered a diplomatic row between India and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi, Dec 13: Chinese surveillance vessel 'Yuan Wang 5' which had entered Indian Ocean Region a few days back has now moved out of the area. The vessel was being constantly monitored by Indian Navy assets including long-range surveillance drones and maritime patrol aircraft.

The moving back of the vessel comes amid reports of clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal's Tawang region on December 9.

The Indian Army bravely thwarted an attempt by the Chinese PLA from "unilaterally" changing the status quo in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector.

The docking of the ship at Hambantota port in August had triggered a diplomatic row between India and Sri Lanka.

Reportedly, the Chinese vessel was last spotted in the Sunda Strait of Indonesia.

The visit of the Chinese ship to the Indian Ocean comes amid increasing concerns over growing forays into the region by Chinese military and research vessels.

India is 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.

What is Yuan Wang 5?

The Yuan Wang 5 is a dual-use spy, research, and survey vessel which is employed for space and satellite tracking and with specific usage in intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

It is a third-generation tracking ship of the Yuan Wang Series, which came into service on September 29, 2007, and was designed by China's 708 Research Institute, according to News18.

It is a highly sophisticated missile range instrumentation ship with top-of-the-line antennas and electronic equipment to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets," the report adds.

This vessel is in control of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) under its Strategic Support Force (SSF) unit. The SSF focuses on space, cyber, and electronic warfare.