My Take | US hysterics over a Cambodian naval pier
- The Chinese navy will struggle to threaten the region or launch a war from a tiny pier earmarked for upgrade at the Ream Naval Base
If you knew nothing about the Ream Naval Base, The Washington Post’s breathless headline from last week about “China secretly building PLA naval facility in Cambodia” might alarm you. No doubt that was on the mind of US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who warned at the weekend during the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore against Beijing’s “aggression and bullying”.
Those who have been following news about the naval base, which has not been in the best of shape and is operated by one of Asia’s less equipped and trained navies, can only roll their eyes.
First, the alleged secrecy. A day after the Post’s story, Chinese and Cambodian officials held a well-publicised groundbreaking ceremony at the Gulf of Thailand facility.
As for the threat that it poses to the region, the Chinese-assisted upgrade will cover a minuscule portion of the base, measuring 0.3 sq km (0.12 square miles). There will be a new hospital, a pier with enough space for two ships, a workshop for repair and maintenance, a dry dock and a slipway.
The Chinese navy will struggle to launch a war of aggression to take over the region from that pier.