The United States (US) on Wednesday accused Cambodia of not being transparent about Chinese construction activities at its biggest naval base. It also urged the government to disclose the full scope of Beijing’s military involvement.
On Wednesday, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington D.C. based think tank, made public what it said were satellite images of Cambodia’s largest naval base, Ream, which is located on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand.
The images highlighted construction progress in August and September and depicted several infrastructural changes on the base. This includes three new buildings and the start of a new road from Ream’s southeast gate to the coastal area housing the new facilities.
Following the release of the images, US embassy spokesperson Chad Roedemeier said in a statement that the presence of any foreign military at Ream would be a violation of the Cambodian constitution and undermine regional security.
“The government of Cambodia has not been fully transparent about the intent, nature, and scope of this project or the role of the PRC military, which raises concerns about [the] intended use of the naval facility,” he said, referring to China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
“We are aware of consistent, credible reporting that significant construction by the People’s Republic of China continues at Ream Naval Base...The Cambodian people deserve to know more about the project at Ream and to have a say in this type of military agreement, which has long term implications for their country,” the spokesperson added.
Cambodia dismissed the allegations on Wednesday, calling them “baseless.” Government spokesperson Phay Siphan told Khmer Times that Cambodia is “quite capable of developing the Ream base on its own and will not allow any foreign country to have military facilities on its sovereign territory.” “As for Ream Naval Base construction development we welcome any country, including America, and China’s help,” he said.
According to Chen Heang, a Research Fellow at Cambodia Institute for Cooperation and Peace: “The geography of Cambodia suggests that China does not stand to gain much strategic advantage by equipping military facilities on the Kingdom’s shores. Most notably, the waters off Cambodia’s coasts are not deep enough to be useful to a powerful navy.”
However, Washington has been wary of China’s dual-use infrastructure projects and the Chinese military’s possible presence and activities at the Ream Naval Base for some time.
During a visit to Cambodia on June 1, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman questioned Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen regarding China’s military presence and requested clarification about the demolition of US-funded buildings on the base. While Cambodia had confirmed the demolition, calling it part of an upgrade, it denied China’s involvement.
Days later, suspicion in Washington rose once again when the US embassy in Phnom Penh said that its defence attaché had been denied full access to Ream during an invited visit.