Cambodia: start of work financed by Beijing on a controversial naval base
Cambodian navy crew on a patrol boat at the Ream naval base in Sihanoukville, southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 26, 2019. AP - Heng Sinith
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Cambodia and China on Wednesday (June 8th) kicked off a Beijing-funded project to renovate a naval base that the United States fears will be destined for Chinese military use.
This base has been a contentious issue between Cambodia and the United States for years.
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Washington has long suspected that the place is being transformed to serve China, which is seeking to expand its international influence through a network of military bases.
The base is strategically located in the Gulf of Thailand, providing access to the South China Sea, most of which is claimed by Beijing.
►Also read: Cambodia denies any desire to host a Chinese military base
Earlier this week, the US daily
The Washington Post
, citing Western officials who requested anonymity, claimed that a new facility was being built at Cambodia's Ream base near Sihanoukville to be "exclusively" used by the Chinese Navy.
"
Not a Secret
"
Both countries deny the allegation, with Phnom Penh saying the development of the base is "
no secret
".
Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh and Chinese Ambassador Wang Wentian were on hand Wednesday to see the start of work on the new facilities, including a boat maintenance workshop, two piers, a dry dock, a slipway and sand dredging to allow larger ships to dock.
Heavy construction machinery is visible on the site.
“
There are allegations that the modernized Ream base will be used exclusively by the Chinese military.
No, it's not that at all,” Tea Banh told several hundred guests, including foreign diplomats.
"Don't worry too much, Ream's base is very small (...).
She will not pose a threat to anyone, anywhere
,” he added.
Completed in two years
The project will be completed in two years, a Cambodian official said.
The United States and other countries in the region have "
expressed concern about the lack of transparency about the intent, nature and scope of this project
", according to Stephanie Arzate, the spokesperson for the American Embassy. .
"
An exclusive military presence of the People's Republic of China in Ream could threaten Cambodia's autonomy and compromise regional security
," she told
AFP
.
Concerns about the base date back to 2019, when the
Wall Street Journal
reported on a secret draft deal allowing Beijing to dock warships there.
(
with AFP
)
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