Chinese warships visit controversial Cambodian naval base for joint exercise

The vessels pictured at the Ream naval base are the first foreign warships known to have used a new facility built with the help of China
Phnom Penh denied that the port was being upgraded for the People’s Liberation Army‘s use after the US expressed concern about the project

China’s military

Jack Lau

Published: 6:59pm, 6 Dec 2023

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Chinese naval ships have arrived for a military exercise at a Cambodian naval port where the United States has previously expressed concern about the possible involvement of the People’s Liberation Army.

It is the first time ships from a foreign navy are known to have used the new pier at Ream naval base, which Chinese companies helped build.

The ships, including the Wenshan, a Type 056A corvette, were seen moored at the base on Sunday in photos posted on Facebook by General Tea Seiha, the Cambodian deputy prime minister and defence minister.

He was accompanied by his father, General Tea Banh, a former defence minister, the Chinese ambassador Wang Wentian and military officers from both countries.

Tea Seiha wrote in a Facebook post that they had visited a “ship docked at Ream seaport to prepare for training with our Cambodian Navy captain and inspected the construction of the infrastructure, which is actively under way according to plan. The major construction will advance the navy’s capability”.

The two countries have close military and economic ties and Chinese firms – many of them state-owned – have invested heavily in transport, agriculture, mining and energy infrastructure.

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The expansion of the Ream naval base has been one of the major infrastructure projects that attracted Chinese investment, but it has caused concern in the United States.

Washington has previously accused Cambodia of not being fully transparent about the port’s intended purpose and the role of the People’s Liberation Army.

The Cambodian government has denied that China was upgrading the base for the PLA’s use and said giving Chinese troops exclusive access to the base would violate its constitution.

However, when the US defence attaché in Cambodia was invited to visit the base, he was denied full access.

Cambodia’s close ties with Beijing have split the Association of Southeast Nations over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Several Asean members have rival claims to China’s in the resource-rich waters, but Cambodia is not directly involved.

Officers and officials from both countries inspected the ships. Photo: Facebook/Tea Seiha

Imagery from a satellite operated by the European Space Agency showed that two ships of the same length were moored side by side at Ream as early as Monday. Their positions matched two Chinese ships in the photos posted by the Cambodian minister.

The Chinese and Cambodian defence ministries have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Construction at the Ream base progressed rapidly this year, and the pier where the Chinese ships are docked was completed in less than 12 months.

On Saturday in Phnom Penh, Tea Seiha discussed military relations and international affairs with China’s General He Weidong, the second-ranking vice-chairman on the Central Military Commission, China’s top command body.

US sanctions Cambodian officials over alleged corruption at Ream Naval Base

The general met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father and long-serving predecessor Hun Sen on Monday, when he described the relationship as an “ironclad friendship”.

In China, foreign visits are normally undertaken by the defence minister. But Li Shangfu’s unexplained dismissal in October has left the post empty. Since then, He and General Zhang Youxia, the other CMC vice-chairman, have become the faces of China’s military diplomacy.

The vice-chairmen rank directly under President Xi Jinping and higher than any defence minister. Unlike in other countries, the minister has no decision-making powers and only carries out those made by Xi, who chairs the commission.