8-12-2023 (WASHINGTON) The United States government is closely monitoring the situation where Chinese naval vessels have docked at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base and expressing serious concerns about Beijing’s plans to control a portion of the base.
According to Radio Free Asia on Tuesday (December 5), several Chinese warships have arrived at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base in the southern part of the country. Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh mentioned in a Facebook post on Sunday that the arrival of the warships was “preparation for naval training.”
The development comes right after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with General Xu Qiliang, the Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, in Phnom Penh on Monday (December 4) to discuss strengthening military cooperation. Tea Banh shared images on Facebook showing at least two Chinese warships currently docked at the Ream Naval Base. Satellite images taken by the U.S. commercial satellite company Planet Labs on December 3 also revealed two warships at the base’s new dock, potentially patrol or escort vessels.
In response to this, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated on Wednesday (December 6) that Washington is closely watching the situation. “While we do not comment on this particular event, we are seriously concerned about China’s plans to independently control parts of the Ream Naval Base.” The U.S. urged Cambodia not to allow China to deploy or operate “sensitive military capabilities” at the base, as it would “compromise Cambodian sovereignty, violate the Cambodian constitution, and impact regional stability.”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., has not issued a response regarding the matter.
Zack Cooper, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, expressed concerns during an interview with Reuters. He stated that the U.S. and its allies are worried that China might install radar facilities at the Ream Naval Base. “If there are surveillance facilities there, it will enhance China’s ability to monitor the Gulf of Thailand and the eastern Indian Ocean.”
The Ream Naval Base faces the Gulf of Thailand, near the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca. The U.S. has long suspected that Beijing is consolidating its international influence by deploying military outposts in Cambodia, and the transformation of the naval base through Sino-Cambodian cooperation has lacked transparency. Cambodia has repeatedly denied that it is providing China with its first dedicated naval replenishment facility in Southeast Asia.
