How China is rebuilding a Cambodian naval base

In 2020, a strange thing happened at Cambodia’s Ream military base in the Gulf of Thailand.

Shortly after making a request to the U.S. Department of Defense to renovate parts of the base—and then abruptly withdrawing it—Cambodian officials began demolishing U.S.-funded buildings already there, some of which were only four years old.

Then the Chinese got to work.

Since December, two Chinese warships have docked at the rapidly expanding port almost every day. Works underway at Yunlang are in line with China’s construction boom from near the Red Sea to the South China Sea.

China’s military presence near one of the world’s most important sea lanes raises fundamental questions about Beijing’s ambitions. While America’s military bases remain the largest in the world, a resurgent China is drawing countries like Cambodia into its orbit.

“The possibility of a permanent Chinese military presence in Cambodia raises significant geopolitical concerns,” said Sofar Earle, a Cambodian-American political scientist at Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. “It could prompt a strategic realignment by the United States. , and enhance global perceptions of China’s militarization.”

long visit

On December 3, 2023, the Cambodian Minister of Defense announced that two Chinese naval frigates would visit Ream to hold joint military exercises. Satellite images show that these warships arrived two days in advance. They’ve been living nearby ever since.

The frigates are the only ships docking at Ream’s new Chinese-built terminal, which can accommodate ships much larger than any in the Cambodian fleet. Cambodia’s own small frigate is docked at a more modest pier in the south.

U.S. officials and Japanese naval vessels have also attempted to visit Ream in the past few years. They are denied full access.

“We are well aware of the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to establish overseas military bases, including at Van Lang,” said Pentagon spokesman John Super. “We are particularly concerned about the lack of transparency about the People’s Republic of China’s intentions and negotiated terms because countries should be free to Make sovereign choices that support their interests and regional security.”

Cambodians deny that China has any larger intentions.

When U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III visited Cambodia in early June, his counterparts told him that China was simply helping Cambodia modernize its military rather than building bases for itself.

“Ream military base belongs to Cambodia, not to any country’s military base,” Maidina, the base’s commander, told the New York Times. “It is incorrect to say that the base is controlled by China.”

Mr. Medina said that while construction at Ream was still underway, no foreign ships would be allowed to dock there. He said the foreign ship – a Chinese frigate – that had been docked there for more than half a year was “for training purposes only.”

power projection

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has laid out his grand vision for a growing superpower. His primary military goal: to build a blue-water navy capable of projecting Beijing’s power far from China’s shores.

Today, China has the largest navy in the world. It has also added aircraft carriers to its fleet.

But a navy of this size and scope, operating thousands of miles from home, would require access to foreign bases.

In 2017, after years of shunning ongoing projects, China opened its first base on foreign soil in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.

In the same year, China completed an even more amazing plan in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

State-run dredgers churned up coral and sand from the seafloor to build military installations on the once-peaceful Spratly Islands. The International Court of Justice ruled that these lands do not belong to China.

Currently, similar state-owned dredgers are operating in Ream. Using reclaimed land, they built wharves and dry docks, each far exceeding the needs of the Cambodian fleet.

However, unlike facilities in the Spratly Islands, Ream does not appear to have reserved building space for missile launchers or fighter hangars. According to satellite analysts, Yun Lang may be mainly used as a supply station for the Chinese Navy.

“It looks more like China is playing roulette to find ports for the blue-water navy that Xi Jinping wants,” said Gregory B. Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I don’t think any Chinese planner looked at all the possible sites around the world and said, ‘Ringmu is what we need.'” What’s more, Lingmu is one of the only ones that can offer it because China has no real allies and friends.

commercial beachhead

As dredgers worked overtime in the Spratly Islands, Xi Jinping stood at the White House, dispelling any doubts that China’s new islands – now studded with fighter strips, radomes and missile depots – were intended for Concerns about military purposes. Chinese officials say they will become havens for tourism.

China’s base-building efforts rely on initial attempts at state-owned enterprises, which are legally obliged to pursue national security interests. Chinese officials are outspoken about this strategy: “Civilian first, military second,” is what they say.

It is easier to establish a commercial beachhead in countries where China already dominates the economy.

In recent years, Cambodia has steadily moved into the arms of China. Its longtime leader Hun Sen has sharply rebuked the United States for tying its aid and investment to improving the country’s human rights record.

Cambodia is now led by Mr Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manet, who has so far shown no inclination to change his father’s pro-China leanings, despite being a graduate of the US Military Academy.

According to its commander, Mr. Mey Dina, Ream is 80% complete. Military analysts expect the base to be completed by the end of this year.

Not far away, a Chinese company carved a runway in the once-protected jungle large enough to accommodate bombers that Cambodia does not have. The company said the airport is mainly used by Chinese holidaymakers.

Political scientist El said this was reminiscent of the innocent explanations offered for China’s construction activities in the Spratlys and Djibouti Islands.

“China downplays or misrepresents the military nature of its overseas facilities,” he said. “Despite Cambodian denials, the lack of transparency and the close relationship between Cambodia and China suggest that Ream is likely to follow this familiar playbook.”