Cambodia’s government has announced that it will inaugurate a Chinese-renovated naval base next month, after which a Japanese warship will be the first foreign ship to drop anchor at the base.
According to a report in the Phnom Penh Post, which cited a social media post by the headquarters of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces High Command, Cambodian military chief Gen. Vong Pisen informed Col. Hara Takashi, the newly appointed Japanese military attaché to Cambodia, that the base would commence operations in early April. Pisen added that the the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) would be the first international visitors to the base.
“Pisen noted that the priority given to Japanese vessels – a historic moment – stems from the high-level stance of the Cambodian and Japanese governments to foster cooperative relations, mutual trust and a comprehensive strategic partnership,” the post stated. Pisen added that following its opening, Ream Naval Base will be open to vessels from other countries for visits or joint military exercises.
Maj. Gen. Thong Solimo, a spokesperson for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, confirmed to the Associated Press that the JMSDF would be granted the right to visit the base, which he described as “a tribute to the high level of openness in cooperation, relations, and mutual trust” between Tokyo and Phnom Penh.
Over the past five years, the Chinese government has funded an extensive expansion and refurbishment of Ream Naval Base, while lies around 30 kilometers from the port-city of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand. This includes a new 300-meter-long deep-water pier, completed ion 2023, which will enable larger warships, including aircraft carriers, to dock in the shallow waters around the base.
Ream has become the subject of alarm in the United States, where many policymakers and think-tankers have become convinced that it will evolve into a permanent Chinese naval base. These fears were only reinforced last year when two Chinese PLA Navy warships berthed for several months at Ream’s new pier. (The Cambodian government claimed that they were visiting the base in preparation the Golden Dragon joint military exercise that took place last May.)
Ream first became the subject of sustained attention in 2019, when the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S. and allied officials, reported that then-Prime Minister Hun Sen had signed a secret agreement granting China’s military the right to use the base for a period of 30 years, prompting a vociferous denial from both Phnom Penh and Beijing. The Washington Post then reported in mid-2022 that Ream would contain facilities earmarked for the “exclusive use” of China’s military. Again citing unnamed Western officials, the report claimed that both countries were “taking extraordinary measures to conceal the operation.”
Cambodia’s government has repeatedly denied that China has been permitted to establish a permanent military presence in the country, citing the country’s Constitution, which states that Cambodia is an “independent, sovereign, peaceful, permanently neutral, and non-aligned country.” In the face of Western skeptics, Cambodian officials have also promised that other nations’ navies will be welcome at Ream once the new facilities are complete.
The decision to welcome a Japanese vessel to the base shortly after its official opening – move that was foreshadowed by Cambodian officials earlier this month – would seem to fulfill these promises, at least partially. This could reflect the Cambodian government’s recent attempts to strike a more balanced foreign policy and patch up its relations with the United States, which has deteriorated sharply over the past decade due to the governments domestic political crackdowns and its concomitant strengthening of relations with China.
In the Trump administration, which has shut down the U.S. democracy promotion programs and U.S.-funded broadcasters that have long irritated the Cambodian government, Prime Minister Hun Manet may have found a partner willing to put relations back on an even keel.
Last month, the Cambodian military reportedly asked the U.S. Army to consider the resumption of Angkor Sentinel, an annual joint military exercise that the Cambodian government canceled in in 2017 – not long after Cambodia inaugurated a similar joint exercise with China. This came after the USS Savanna, a U.S. Navy warship, paid a five-day visit to Cambodia in December – the first such visit in eight years. However, the vessel docked at the port of Sihanoukville rather than at Ream.
At the same time, it is likely that China will enjoy privileged access to Ream, in return for bankrolling its refurbishment. According to one report, the two nations plan to establish a Cambodia-China Joint Logistics and Training Center at the base once it is operational. As such, even inviting a U.S. Navy warship to pay a port call at Ream is unlikely fully to allay Washington’s worries about China’s activities on the Cambodian coast.
