Cambodia hits back at Chinese base claims

SINGAPORE — Cambodia has denied reports that the country is giving China “exclusive” access to a naval base undergoing construction along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore over the weekend, Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh reminded the audience that the presence of foreign military bases on his country’s soil is in violation of the constitution.

During a Q&A session after his speech, Tea clarified that the naval base at Ream “is being modernized and upgraded in accordance with Cambodian requirements, and that there will be no exclusive rights for its use.”

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that China will have exclusive use of some parts of the base, which is undergoing extensive construction believed to have been funded in part by China.

Tea called such reports “insulting” to the Cambodian government, saying the country possesses sole authority of the naval base.

The naval base at Ream was initially a modest facility built with U.S. assistance, but it was demolished in 2020 before the ongoing construction began.

Cambodian naval personnel walk during a government-organized media tour at Ream Naval Base on July 26, 2019. (Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images)

Writing in Foreign Policy magazine , Indo-Pacific defense policy specialist and U.S. Navy Reserve officer Blake Herzinger noted details that emerged during the June 8 groundbreaking ceremony at the base suggested the result would be modest.

Herzinger wrote that the area identified by The Washington Post as being partitioned off for China’s use is “miniscule,” measuring a purported 0.3 square kilometers (0.12 square miles), and that there “is little reason to assume that Cambodian leaders would agree to Ream Naval Base being used for Chinese power projection in Southeast Asia or combat operations in the region.”

Upgrading capabilities

During a plenary session on military modernization and defense capabilities, the minister also said technological advances will potentially drive an increase in defense spending and modernization efforts. The improvement of defense capabilities is a requirement for every nation as they adapt to the national, regional and global security environment, he added.

He also said Cambodia will continue with plans to modernize its armed forces, confirming the Royal Cambodian Army recently received “a series of heavy and modern weapons.”

He did not provide more details, although photos posted on social media show mobile artillery and multiple rocket launcher systems of Chinese origin at what is believed to be the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville. These included the AR2 long-range and Type 90B multiple rocket launcher systems as well as the 155mm SH-1 self-propelled howitzer along with support vehicles. It’s unclear how many of each system Cambodia ordered.

Mike Yeo is the Asia correspondent for Defense News.

新加坡——柬埔寨否认了有关该国给予中国“独家”使用权，允许其进入正在泰国湾沿岸建设的海军基地的报道。

柬埔寨国防部长狄班周末在新加坡举行的香格里拉对话安全论坛上发表讲话时提醒与会者，外国军事基地在其领土上的存在违反了宪法。

在演讲后的问答环节中，Tea澄清说，里姆海军基地“正在按照柬埔寨的要求进行现代化改造和升级，并且不会有任何独占使用权”。

《华盛顿邮报》本周早些时候报道称，中国将独占使用该基地的部分区域，该基地正在进行大规模建设，据信部分资金来自中国。

Tea称此类报道是对柬埔寨政府的“侮辱”，并表示该国对该海军基地拥有完全管辖权。

里姆海军基地最初是在美国援助下建造的规模较小的设施，但在 2020 年，在目前的建设开始之前就被拆除了。

2019年7月26日，柬埔寨海军人员在政府组织的媒体参观活动中参观云壤海军基地。（Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images）

印太地区国防政策专家、美国海军预备役军官布莱克·赫辛格在《外交政策》杂志上撰文指出，6 月 8 日在该基地举行的奠基仪式上透露的一些细节表明，最终结果可能并不理想。

赫辛格写道，《华盛顿邮报》所指的被划拨给中国使用的区域“微不足道”，据称面积仅为 0.3 平方公里（0.12 平方英里），而且“几乎没有理由认为柬埔寨领导人会同意让云壤海军基地被用于中国在东南亚的实力投射或在该地区的作战行动”。

能力升级

在一次关于军事现代化和国防能力的全体会议上，这位部长还表示，技术进步可能会推动国防开支和现代化力度的加大。他补充说，随着各国适应国家、地区和全球安全环境的变化，提升国防能力是每个国家都必须面对的挑战。

他还表示，柬埔寨将继续推进军队现代化计划，并证实柬埔寨皇家陆军最近收到了“一系列重型现代化武器”。

他没有提供更多细节，但社交媒体上发布的照片​​显示，在据信是柬埔寨西哈努克港的地点，出现了中国制造的移动火炮和多管火箭炮系统。这些系统包括AR2远程火箭炮和90B型多管火箭炮系统，以及155毫米SH-1自行榴弹炮和支援车辆。目前尚不清楚柬埔寨订购了多少套此类系统。

Mike Yeo 是《防务新闻》的亚洲通讯员。