Chinese warships have ‘exclusive’ access at Cambodia port: US report
- Two PLA Navy ships are only vessels to have docked at Chinese-financed Ream naval base since upgrades last year, US intelligence report
- Phnom Penh has denied deal to grant permanent Chinese military presence at port that was said to be open to all navies
The two ships from the PLA Navy – the only two vessels to have visited the pier since it went into operation – were docked at the facility 93 per cent of the time since they first arrived at the port, or 85 out of 91 days, according to AMTI, which cited data from available clear satellite imagery.
The pier was only vacant for two brief periods from January 15-18, and March 29-30, the report said.
“Satellite imagery also showed no other ships, including any Cambodian vessels, docking at the new pier, which was completed last year to enable larger warships to dock in Ream’s shallow waters,” the AMTI report said.
Two Japanese destroyers that made a port call in February were also routed to Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, northwest of Ream, AMTI added.
The report said the Chinese navy’s “extended and exclusive” access to the pier comes after years of concerns over a rumoured secret agreement between Beijing and Phnom Penh to grant a permanent Chinese military presence at Ream, raising the question of “whether that presence has now, in fact, been established”.
Phnom Penh has denied the alleged secret agreement, and Hun Sen had said such accusations were part of a “campaign to slander Cambodia by foreigners and politicians”.
02:06
‘Fruit of peace’: new China-funded airport launched in Cambodia
The Chinese-financed overhaul of the Ream naval base began in 2022 with the construction of a pier and dry dock at the southern end of the base, while facilities that had been recently built by the United States and Australia were demolished.
In December, the two Chinese navy ships, one of which has been identified as the Chinese Type 056A corvette “Wenshan”, sailed to the upgraded naval base to take part in a joint exercise with the Cambodian military, in what was believed to be the first visit by a foreign navy to the new pier at the base.
The other ship was not identified in the report.
US expresses ‘serious concerns’ about China-funded upgrade to Cambodia navy base
Washington has raised concerns about the transparency of the port’s intended purpose and the role of the Chinese military, issues that Daniel Kritenbrink, an assistant US secretary of state, raised during his visit to Phnom Penh in February.
“Ultimately, the degree of China’s access to Ream will be borne out over the coming months and years – and will be seen in satellite imagery. At some point, the two [PLA Navy] corvettes that have been at Ream since December will leave,” the report said.
“Whether they are replaced with other Chinese ships, how long those ships stay, and whether other navies are afforded the same opportunities will all speak volumes about the true nature of the relationship between China’s navy and Ream.”
