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Chinese put off ships' visit
due to cyclone threat

The cyclone, that is set to hit the Gujarat coast, has forced the Chinese navy to postpone a rare, significant visit of two of its ships to Bombay.

After almost seven years, Chinese naval ships were set to enter Indian waters on Saturday, but the cyclone has forced them to postpone the visit.

Significantly, three Indian ships had weathered two massive storms in the South China sea, to visit Shanghai and conduct exercises with their Chinese counterparts.

The Chinese naval ships were slated to arrive in Bombay, after leaving Karachi two days back. The Chinese ships have now put off the trip to May 29. The ships will leave Karachi on May 27, after the cyclone blows over.

The ships were at Karachi between May 20 and 23, and were originally scheduled to depart for Bombay on the last day. At Karachi, the Pakistan navy and their Chinese counterparts conducted two-day joint exercises.

"The Chinese authorities have intimated that they don't want to weather the storm. They will wait at Karachi for the storm to blow over," naval sources said.

Harbin, a Luhu class destroyer, and Taicing, a Fuqing class tanker, are visiting India and Pakistan during maritime diplomatic efforts. Chinese naval ships last visited India and Pakistan in 1994.

In Bombay, only preliminary level exercises will be conducted between the Indian and Chinese navies. "We don't have regular contacts and we also have a language problem," naval sources pointed out, when asked why they are not able to conduct advanced exercises with the Chinese.

India conducts advanced naval exercises with France, and the US till the Pokhran blasts in 1998.

Last September, Indian ships had visited the Chinese port of Shanghai and conducted joint exercises. The Chinese authorities had released a first day cover to commemorate the visit.

The Indian ships had ventured into the South China sea in a rare attempt, and reached the Chinese port, weathering massive storms. The Chinese resist any outsider's attempt to move into the South China sea.

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