Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam said he does not believe the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 carried out any activities relating specifically to the Maldives during its three months in waters surrounding the country. Satellite AIS tracking shows the vessel is now in the Java Sea near Indonesia, on its way back to China.
One outlet so far Only Maldives Republic has reported this among the sources we monitor. A gap in what we monitor, not proof that others did not report it.
China's most advanced research vessel began its journey to the Maldives on 14 January 2024, 24 hours after President Mohamed Muizzu concluded his official visit to China.
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report
The vessel arrived on29 January and first docked at Malé on 22 February.
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report
On 25 April the vessel returned to the Maldives' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report
We don't know if the research vessel is doing anything related to us and I don't believe it is doing anything like that
Nothing to compare yet. If another monitored source reports it, its headline appears beside this one.
Using satellite Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking, the Chinese vessel is now confirmed to be in the Java Sea near Indonesia, on its way back to China.
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report
The Maldives' Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) initially confirmed the arrival of the vessel following media reports.
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report
