US assume tank — Radio Free Asia

Cambodia seems to have given the Chinese language navy prolonged and unique entry to its naval base in Ream regardless of official claims that they solely arrived for coaching functions, a U.S. assume tank mentioned.

Radio Free Asia first reported on the arrival of two Chinese language corvettes final December, the primary overseas warships allowed to dock on the new Chinese language-built pier at Ream, Sihanoukville province.

The ships left the pier on January 15, 2024, solely to return a number of days later, mentioned the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) on the Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research (CSIS) in Washington D.C. in a new report.

AMTI analyzed industrial satellite tv for pc imagery that exhibits the Chinese language vessels “have now maintained a constant presence for over 4 months.”

“It seems that they have been primarily based there, simply because the leaked 2019 MOU [memorandum of understanding] instructed they’d be,” mentioned Greg Poling, AMTI’s director, referring to the reported controversial settlement between Cambodia and China in 2019 giving Beijing unique rights to a part of the Ream naval base. 

“This is not only a go to or an train,” Poling instructed RFA. “Regardless of the Hun Sen and Hun Manet governments’ denials, the PLAN [People’s Liberation Army Navy] is working out of Ream.”

Coaching Cambodian navy

The AMTI report mentioned that no different ships, together with Cambodian vessels, have been seen docking on the new pier, “which was accomplished final 12 months to allow bigger warships to dock in Ream’s shallow waters.”

This means “a visual signal of privileged entry for China’s army,” it mentioned, including that the diploma of China’s entry to Ream sooner or later will verify whether or not Ream has turn out to be a Chinese language naval base.

Cambodia is getting ready for the upcoming annual joint train Golden Dragon with the Chinese language army, a part of which can be performed at sea, RFA has discovered. Naval commanders held a gathering in Phnom Penh on April 18 to debate the train.

It’s unclear whether or not the Chinese language vessels at present at Ream would participate in Golden Dragon 2024. In final 12 months’s iteration, the 2 navies performed their first-ever joint naval drills within the waters off Sihanoukville, however with a touchdown ship dispatched from China.

RFA has contacted Rear Adm. Mey Dina, Ream naval base’s commander, for extra clarification however has not acquired any reply.

When the 2 Chinese language ships arrived in Ream in December 2023, Cambodia’s minister of protection Tea Seiha mentioned on Fb that it was “for coaching our Cambodian Navy crew.” Within the following days there was certainly a coaching course for Cambodian navy workers at Ream, attended by Chinese language officers.

Nonetheless, there have been no additional stories on any exercise of the Chinese language ships in both Cambodian or Chinese language media.

“We don’t know what the Chinese language have been as much as [at Ream] as a result of China builds and operates it itself,” mentioned a Cambodian analyst who wished to remain nameless because of the sensitivity of the subject.

“What seems to be evident is that Beijing has begun to station semi-permanent warships there as a method of solidifying its army footprint throughout Southeast Asia,” mentioned Paul Chambers, a political scientist on the Heart of ASEAN Group Research at Naresuan College in Thailand. 

“A Chinese language foothold in Cambodia provides assist to different close by Chinese language army platforms within the South China Sea, Myanmar, Laos, and southern Asia,” Chambers instructed RFA.

‘Severe issues’

There was no rapid remark from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh. The U.S. State Division final December mentioned it had “critical issues” about China’s plans for unique management over parts of Ream Naval Base, a declare that Cambodia has repeatedly denied.

Prime officers in Phnom Penh have maintained that permitting a overseas army to be primarily based in Cambodia can be in contradiction to the nation’s structure.

Cambodian analyst, Chhan Paul, wrote within the pro-government newspaper Khmer Occasions that any allegation of a Chinese language army base is a “deliberate try to malign Cambodia.”

“Cambodia by no means claims that it gained’t enable warships from China to dock on the Ream naval base. Cambodia overtly welcomes warships from different pleasant international locations to dock on the base,” the impartial analyst wrote, “Subsequently, the mere sighting of a Chinese language warship can’t be interpreted to imply something out of the bizarre.”

Chinese language overseas minister Wang Yi is to go to Cambodia from April 21 to 23 to additional consolidate bilateral relations in “wide-ranging areas,” based on a press launch from the Cambodian overseas ministry.

Wang Yi is scheduled to name on King Norodom Sihamoni and meet with Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father Hun Sen, who’s now the president of the nation’s Senate.

Edited by Mike Firn.