US has ‘serious concerns’ about Chinese-funded upgrade to Cambodian naval base, senior diplomat Daniel Kritenbrink says
- Assistant US secretary of state Daniel Kritenbrink says he raised issues around Ream base during Phnom Penh visit
- He said Washington was also worried by China’s ‘coercion to intimidate partners’ regarding South China Sea
The United States has expressed “serious concerns” to Cambodian officials about the Chinese-funded upgrade of a Cambodian naval base, a senior US diplomat said.
Kritenbrink, who last week visited five Southeast Asian nations – Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei – said while his meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet was “very productive, very positive and very candid”, he also addressed matters that worried Washington.
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“The United States and a number of countries in the region have expressed serious concerns about the intent, the nature and the scope of construction around [the Ream] naval base, as well as the role that the PRC [People’s Republic of China] military is playing in this process, and in the future use of the facility,” Kritenbrink said.
“I underscored, whether it was related to Ream or a range of other issues … America’s approach to the region is to ensure that our partners continue to have choice, and that partners continue to be able to preserve their own sovereignty.”
Ream naval base in southern Cambodia was upgraded with Chinese investment in 2022-23, which sparked concerns from Washington about the transparency of the port’s intended purpose and the role of the Chinese military.