As the US-China battle for supremacy escalated in the past few weeks following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan China’s continued attempt to assert its influence in the Indian Ocean remains unabated.

Beijing docked what military experts call a dual-use spy ship, Yuan Wang 5 at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port in the Indian Ocean.

While some say it was Beijing’s response to Washington’s recent diplomatic manoeuvres in the South China Sea, others call it an attempt to prevent deepening India-Sri Lanka ties, especially in the wake of India’s continued multi-faceted support to the Island nation during its economic and political crisis.