Chinese spy ships in the Indian Ocean and what India can do

By Pune Media On Aug 12, 2025

Chinese research vessels involved in deep sea exploration or oceanographic data collection in the Indian Ocean have often been looked at with suspicion by India. So as news about a Chinese research vessel headed for the Maldives swirled, the government said port calls by ships from friendly countries were welcome but Xiang Yang Hong 03 would not conduct any research while in the Maldivian waters. The vessel operated by China’s Third Institute of Oceanography, under the Ministry of Natural Resources, was inducted in 2016.

Editor’s Note: This article, first published in January 2024, is being reposted to highlight the increased Chinese activity in India’s neighbourhood.

China has developed the world’s largest fleet of civilian research vessels, according to a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). While these ships engaged in deep sea exploration overtly support scientific and commercial objectives, they are also being used to advance Beijing’s strategic ambitions, the study said.

An analysis of oceanographic data collection missions in the Indian Ocean since 2020 reveals the involvement of about 64 active Chinese research vessels. The study surmised that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) can leverage the oceanographic data collection from these missions to enhance its knowledge of the dynamic undersea environment—a crucial requirement to facilitate deployment of nuclear-powered submarines in the high seas.

The Chinese research vessels are owned and operated by a variety of entities, such as state-run scientific organisations (China Ocean Mineral Resource R&D Association, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Natural Resources), law enforcement/quasi-military entities like the China Coast Guard and Maritime Safety Administration, as also by a few state-owned enterprises. Some hydrographic survey vessels are operated by the PLA Navy.

The report makes it evident that China has turned to the Indian Ocean for marine research in a big way and the increase in the number of its research vessels would need more regional partners for logistical support. Port facilities of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius and other littoral states in the region would be crucial towards this end.

Implications of China’s Marine Research Push

As per the CSIS study, China’s 14th Five Year Plan identifies deep sea exploration as one of its seven focus areas for scientific and technological research. The Plan has called for the development of “submarine scientific observation networks”. In 2021, the Ministry of Natural Resources linked ocean surveying to military objectives towards furthering the Five-Year Plan. The PLA perceives the need for advanced deep-sea technologies to develop its fledging undersea warfare wherewithal, a domain where China has made significant strides in recent years. The surveys conducted and data collected by Chinese marine research vessels, which are fitted with state-of-the-art measurement and monitoring equipment, can help fill in major gaps in the PLA Navy’s underwater domain awareness.

The CSIS report brings out that over the past four years (2019-2023), 13 Chinese research vessels have been active in the Indian Ocean. This is a significant number, given the long operating distances from their home ports in China. Open source information indicates that in this period Chinese research vessels have visited ports in Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mauritius, all located in India’s maritime neighbourhood. In some cases, they may have undertaken collaborative activities with partner nations, like in the case of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Overall, there is a prominent thrust on China’s part to normalize and mainstream its marine research activity in the Indian Ocean.

These deployments, however, come with their own share of problems. In the contested South China Sea, vessels operated by China’s state-owned enterprises have played a key role in asserting China’s claims of sovereignty. Chinese research vessels strengthen the country’s presence in geopolitical hotspots, especially in the Western Pacific. This could be replicated in the Indian Ocean. Taking advantage of poor surveillance capabilities of regional states at sea, Chinese vessels have conducted survey operations within the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of other countries without prior approval. The vessels’ electronic track record at sea has also raised concerns. Repeated instances of “spoofing” of the automatic identification system (AIS) which amounts to providing falsified identification information, or switching the transmission off (“going dark”) for long durations, have been noticed. In some cases, vessels have been suspected to have abandoned equipment like buoys and other material at sea. Combined with similarly opaque activities of China’s deep-water fishing fleet, the challenge to regional maritime security posed by such “grey zone” activities cannot be ignored.

These and other trends of concern could rise, as the numbers of Chinese research vessels continue to go up in the Indian Ocean. It also bears recall that in the second China-Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Forum on Development Cooperation held in hybrid format on December 7-8, 2023 in Kunming (Yunnan province), one of the ten deliverables identified is to “Push forward the development of China-Africa Marine Science and Blue Economy Cooperation Centre and carry out technical cooperation on marine survey, monitoring, forecasting and continental shelf research in Africa”. Follow up of this aim could further enhance China’s cooperation with Indian Ocean regional states in the field of oceanography and satellite based marine remote sensing, thus giving it substantial clout in the partner countries.

India’s Strengths

Among Asian nations, India was relatively an early beginner in the field of ocean sciences, having established the Department of Ocean Development (DOD) in July 1981 directly under the charge of the Prime Minister. Its early achievements included the Antarctic programme, which began in 1981 with the first Indian expedition to Antarctica. India subsequently established and commissioned the Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri and Bharati research bases in the Antarctic.

The DOD subsequently evolved into the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in 2006. The MoES has a host of scientific establishments and institutions under its charge, viz. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad; National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa; National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai; National Centre for Coastal Research(NCCR), Chennai ; Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi; Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune; and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), to name some. In addition, the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa operates under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The scientific establishments have been carrying out extensive work at sea, especially in the Indian Exclusive Economic zone. India has also concluded a contract for Exploration of Polymetallic India Nodules (PMN) and Polymetallic India Sulphides (PMS) in the Indian Ocean with the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority. India is the only country having two exploration contracts in the Indian Ocean.

Against the backdrop of China’s growing outreach, it would be desirable for MoES to take the lead, with a multi-agency approach, taking along other stakeholders like the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Indian Navy, Department of Fisheries and CSIR, to craft ocean sciences diplomacy in the region. The MoES already has strong international linkages under its ongoing programmes with the U.S., the UAE, the UK, Mauritius, Norway, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, Sweden, Thailand, Seychelles, Maldives, Sri Lanka etc. At the multilateral level, it engages with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, International Seabed Authority, Arctic Council, various forums concerning Antarctica, World Meteorological Agency, Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia Region, (RIMES) and The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), to name a few.

What Could India Do?

With the wealth of experience and human resource it possesses in the field of ocean sciences, India has a lot to offer to regional states in the Indian Ocean, towards capacity building and creating basic scientific capabilities in the niche domain. Training courses are being periodically undertaken by INCOIS, Hyderabad and NIO, Goa. The INCOIS contributes significantly to international training as an International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITCOocean). The MoES operates a fleet of research vessels, mostly under the aegis of NIOT, Chennai. NCPOR organizes expeditions to Antarctica. Various capabilities of different scientific institutions need to be harnessed optimally to enhance India’s overall engagement in ocean sciences with friendly countries that can benefit from such assistance.

In recent years, an encouraging example has been seen in this regard in terms of oceanography cooperation under the banner of the Colombo Security Conclave – a forum comprising the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and India as members, and Bangladesh, Seychelles as observers.

Reportedly, scientists from Bangladesh and Mauritius participated in the first ever joint scientific expedition amongst CSC nations undertaken onboard Indian research vessel Sagar Nidhi from 29 June to 24 July, 2023. A scientist from Bangladesh also participated in a second such similar expedition onboard the same vessel from 16 September to 20 October 2023. Notably, an expedition to Antarctica organised by India, with participation of scientists from Bangladesh and Mauritius, has commenced this month. A month-long training course in oceanography conducted by NIO, Goa, for scientists representing CSC nations is underway. News reports brought out that an Ocean Information Services portal for CSC nations was inaugurated during the sixth NSA level meeting of the forum held in Mauritius in December 2023.

Such focused efforts need to be enhanced and widened further by India if it seriously wishes to offer alternatives to IOR nations that are being wooed and cultivated by China in the field of ocean sciences. An Ocean Observation System led by Indian efforts in collaboration with regional partners could be envisaged. Towards this goal, the MoES could draw upon the strength of ISRO, which has a very strong record of international cooperation. The ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre has well established outreach facilities catering to requirements of capacity building in space-based applications, including marine remote sensing. Teaming between scientific expertise of MoES and ISRO to offer customised training and operational products to friendly foreign partners in this niche field could yield rich dividends.

Efforts would be incomplete if they do not include an augmented operational dimension in skill development & field studies, which necessitates induction of more numbers of research vessels by various scientific establishments dealing with ocean sciences.

The ‘Way Ahead’

The strength and direction of China’s strong push in science diplomacy in the Indian Ocean is unmistakable. China’s diplomatic push through the Global Developmental Initiative and Global Security Initiative would be more visible in the coming months. At the second China-Indian Ocean Forum, China pledged to set up a China-Indian Ocean Region Maritime Cooperation and Training Center to carry out cooperation in the marine field. This shows the seriousness with which China desires to pursue engagement with Indian Ocean states.

India needs to step up its act to match China’s game in the field of ocean sciences, which is undoubtedly an area of strength in Beijing’s regional diplomacy in the Indian Ocean. In India’s foreign policy, ocean sciences diplomacy currently occupies a minor segment. The effort needs to be scaled up with a dedicated strategy, steered by the scientific and diplomatic establishment joining hands together. A multi-agency approach is necessary to harness all available resources and bring quicker results.

India’s SAGAR doctrine (Security and Growth for All in the Region), which is aimed at strengthening regional maritime security and development, should necessarily include the element of ocean sciences. An “all-arms” approach abiding to a well-crafted strategy would serve India’s interests well as it braces for China’s growing challenge in marine and ocean sciences diplomacy.