Cambodia has formally re-opened a naval base on its southwestern coast after a substantial upgrade supported by China, but denies it will allow any foreign country to establish a base on its soil.
Prime Minister Hun Manet on Saturday officiated the re-opening of Ream Naval Base. The Chinese ambassador to Cambodia and a member from China’s Central Military Commission attended the ceremony.
“The royal government of Cambodia, led by the Cambodian People’s Party, in the past, now and in the future will not violate its own constitution to allow any single foreign country to put a military base in the country,” Hun Manet said at the ceremony.
The re-opening comes about two weeks before a planned state visit to Cambodia by China’s President Xi Jinping. Cambodia is one China’s staunchest allies in Southeast Asia.
“We have nothing to hide”, Hun Manet said at the ceremony. He welcomed “all friends” to participate in joint military drills at the base.
Last August, when visiting Ream, an RFA reporter witnessed the fast pace of development and was told that 100 Chinese naval personnel were “working day and night” on it.
The U.S. has repeatedly expressed concerns over the lack of transparency in the Ream base’s development while Cambodia’s neighbors worry that a foothold at Ream would give China better control over the Indochina peninsula and the South China Sea.
Cambodia’s constitution does not allow foreign bases in the country but analysts say that China, having invested a large sum of money in the project, would have preferential access to Ream.
On Sunday, China and Cambodia held joint military exercises at Ream. Warships from both countries conducted drills including formation maneuvring. China’s state-run Global Times said that the two countries will likely conduct more joint drills using the base in the future.