China became the first country to anchor naval ships at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base in the Gulf of Thailand.
Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha shared a post on the social media platform Facebook on December 3 with images of at least two Chinese navy ships anchoring at the naval base.
While it was stated that Minister Tea came to the base to inspect the work at the naval base and the preparations for the training of the country’s navy, the shared photographs showed that Cambodian officials and Chinese Ambassador to Phnom Penh Wang Wentian were together.
Examining satellite images provided by Planet Labs PBC company, Associated Press (AP) revealed that two Chinese ships that appeared to be anchored at the base matched the photos shared on the Minister’s social media account.
In the AP news, it was stated that both ships could be Type 056 Chinese corvettes, considering their size.
In a written statement made to the AP from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, it was stated that the US and regional countries have concerns about the lack of transparency regarding the purpose, nature and scope of the project in question, as well as the role of the Chinese army in the construction and after the construction of the project.
Naval base claim
In the news dated June 7, 2022 by the Washington Post newspaper, based on “Western officials”, it was claimed that China would build a military base in Cambodia exclusively for its own army.
It was stated in the news that both countries rejected the allegations, but took extraordinary measures to hide this attempt.
The groundbreaking ceremony of the Ream Naval Base, built with the financial support and cooperation of China, was held on June 8, 2022, with the participation of Cambodian Minister of Defense Tea Banh, Chinese Ambassador to Phnom Penh Wang Vintien and the US military attache.
The USA opposed the project of the base, which consists of a shipyard, ship dock, hospital, workshop and reception building, on the grounds that it was not carried out transparently and that it would provide Beijing with a critical military base in the region.
Ream, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, is located in a strategic location close to the South China Sea, where China has sovereignty disputes with regional countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam.
Apart from its own coasts and territorial waters, China only has a military base in the East African country of Djibouti, but it is claimed that the Beijing administration is trying to establish an overseas military network through ports and shipyards built by Chinese state companies.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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