Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Wednesday that no foreign military bases will be allowed on Cambodian territory – a statement likely made to blunt criticism over China’s recent involvement in the development at Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand.
Hun Manet made the comment during the 25th anniversary commemoration of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces’ infantry command.
“Cambodia is not allowed to have foreign military bases on its territory, nor is it allowed to have its military bases on any other territory except under the umbrella of the United Nations,” he said, referring to the 1993 Cambodian Constitution.
In June 2021, China and Cambodia began expanding the Ream base with Beijing’s funding. Satellite images last year showed the construction of a deep-draft pier that could accommodate aircraft carriers.
The government has repeatedly denied that China is being given exclusive military access to the base, saying that would contradict its constitution, which states that Cambodia “shall not permit any foreign military base on its territory and shall not have its own military base abroad, except within the framework of a United Nations’ request.”
The constitution was written just after a period when the United Nations had administered the country following decades of conflict.
Article 53 of the constitution also states that Cambodia “reserves the right to receive foreign assistance in the form of military equipment, armaments, ammunition, training of its armed forces and other assistance for self-defense and for maintaining public order and security within its territory.”
Hun Manet said on Wednesday that Cambodia is working to modernize its armed forces for self-defense, and also “to increase its ability to participate in regional and global peacekeeping."
Training by Chinese Navy
If China begins operating from the base, Ream would become its first naval staging facility in Southeast Asia and the second foreign base in the world after one in Djibouti.
Radio Free Asia reported on Dec. 5, 2023, about the arrival of two People's Liberation Army vessels at Ream as part of a training program for the Cambodian Navy. They were the first foreign warships to gain access to the new facility.
The Chinese ships provided on-ship and in-port training to Cambodian navy staff, according to the base’s social media.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters on Dec. 6 that Washington has "serious concerns about the PRC's plans for exclusive control over portions of Ream Naval Base," calling China by its formal name, the People's Republic of China.
Hun Manet’s remarks were unsurprising, according to Keut Saray, president of the Association of Khmer Intellectual Students. He added the government should be transparent and allow visits to suspected areas at the base.
“When there is an international expert who is recognized by countries around the world to study the base, I believe that all the results that are obtained will eliminate any doubts,” he said.
Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed.