The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka on Saturday said that the Chinese ambassador had violated basic etiquette in his remarks about Beijing’s research vessel that had docked in the island nation from August 16 to August 22.

Earlier this month, Colombo had allowed the Yuan Wang 5 ship to visit the Chinese-built and leased Hambantota port on the condition that it would not engage in research in Sri Lankan waters. Indian media reports claimed that the 730-foot vessel is a dual-use spy ship.

The vessel was initially scheduled to arrive in the port on August 11, but Sri Lanka deferred the visit on August 8, citing “certain concerns”, apparently referring to objections from New Delhi.

On Friday, in a veiled criticism of India, Qi Zhenhong, China’s envoy in Colombo, said that “external obstruction” based on so-called security concerns without any evidence is a “thorough interference” into Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence.

“Looking back at the great history of the island, Sri Lanka overcame aggression from its northern neighbour 17 times, colonisation by the West for 450 years, and an anti-terrorism war for nearly 3 decades…is now still standing in the world bravely and proudly,” Qi wrote in an article. “Any infringement on the national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka shall not be tolerated.”

In a strongly worded response on Saturday, the Indian High Commission said that Qi’s remarks was a “violation of basic diplomatic etiquette may be a personal trait” or “reflecting a larger national attitude”.

In a series of tweets, the Indian mission added that the Chinese diplomat’s view of Sri Lanka’s “northern neighbour may be coloured by how his own country behaves”.

India, we assure him, is very different, the High Commission wrote.

New Delhi also told Beijing that what Colombo needed to tackle its worst economic crisis in decades was support and “not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies” to serve another country’s agenda.

In his article on Friday, Qi had also drawn a parallel between United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and the docking of the Yuan Wang 5 in the Hambantota port.

“Just like Sri Lanka, China suffered a hundred years of humiliation from 1840 to 1949,” the envoy wrote. “Because of a similar dark experience, China has always been supporting Sri Lanka in the international fora for protecting its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. We will continue to do that. In contrast, some countries, far or near, always make various groundless excuses to bully Sri Lanka and trample on Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence repeatedly.”

On August 8 too, without naming India, China had said that it was “completely unjustified” for other countries to pressurise Sri Lanka and “grossly interfere” in its internal affairs. Days later, India rejected China’s “insinuations” that it pressured Sri Lanka to turn the Yuan Wang away.