Beijing / Phnom Penh / Washington – China is reportedly building new facilities at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base. The study group ‘AMTI’ has claimed in this regard and has also published satellite photographs of the site. The United States has criticized the move, accusing the Cambodian government of lacking transparency.
ASEAN countries are beginning to respond sharply to China’s expansionist actions in the South China Sea and nearby maritime areas. Major countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore have begun implementing independent policies disregarding Chinese pressure. Against this background, China has started moving closer to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to exert pressure on ASEAN countries. China’s growing investment in Cambodia and the developing defence cooperation is a part of that.
It is claimed that China and Cambodia have signed a secret defence agreement in the last decade. Under the agreement, Cambodia has allowed China to use its naval base as a defence base. In return, China will provide defence systems to Cambodia and invest heavily in infrastructure. But Cambodia has denied any such deal. Cambodia also refrained from answering questions raised by senior US officials.
Against this backdrop, the study group Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative released information on the construction being carried out on a Cambodian naval base by China. This information is published along with satellite photographs. The photographs show that China has rapidly constructed buildings and other facilities on the Cambodian base in the last few months. It is claimed that these constructions could be part of the Chinese move to use Ream as a defence base.
Over the past year, China has erected four buildings and begun the construction of new roads. It is also revealed that a Chinese company is planning to build a large resort near this base. The United States has expressed strong displeasure with Cambodia over the Chinese moves. Wendy Sherman, a senior US official, visited Cambodia a few months ago. During the visit, she asked questions about China’s movements. However, US sources claimed that Cambodia refrained from giving credible answers. The United States has expressed concern over China’s actions after claims by the AMTI study group and accused the Cambodian government of lack of transparency.
The military facilities erected by the United States on the Riam base have been demolished while allowing China to use the defence base. The United States had constructed two military facilities in Cambodia over the past decade. But the Cambodian government demolished US-built military buildings last year without giving a reason. Analysts claim that if China gets a defence base in Cambodia, it will use it to expand its operations in Southeast Asia.
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