Chinese warships at Cambodian base for months, CSIS analysis shows
Commander of Ream base says vessels deployed to train Cambodian navy for new ships
Two People's Liberation Army Navy corvettes are docked at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on April 7. (CSIS)
SHAUN TURTON, Nikkei staff writer, and BOPHA PHORN, Nikkei contributing writer
April 18, 2024 23:00 JST
SYDNEY -- Two Chinese warships have been present at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base for much of the past five months, satellite images show, raising questions about the permanency of China's military presence at the facility.
China has backed a major expansion at the site on the Gulf of Thailand and was the first to send warships late last year to a new pier. Former Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh visited the vessels on Dec. 3 along with China's ambassador to Phnom Penh.
Radio Free Asia reported in mid-January that the ships had departed after being docked for several weeks. Nikkei Asia obtained a photo that showed the two vessels, one of which was identified as the People's Liberation Army Navy corvette Wenshan, back at the deep-draft pier on March 20.
But an analysis of satellite imagery by the Center for Strategic and International Studies showed that, except for some brief absences, the PLAN corvettes had enjoyed "extended and exclusive" access to Ream over the past four and a half months.
"The PLAN ships are visible docked at Ream's new pier in 93 percent (85 of 91) of dates with clear imagery available since the ships initially docked there on December 3," CSIS, a Washington-based think tank, wrote in an analysis released on Thursday. "The pier was only seen empty for two brief periods from January 15-18 and March 29-30."
During his visit, Banh, who handed the ministerial post to his son Tea Seiha last year but has remained heavily involved in defense matters, posted photos of the inspection on Facebook, writing that the vessels were there for training the Cambodian navy.
A Jiangdao-class corvette from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy in Hong Kong, in this file photo from November 2023. Two Chinese corvettes have been an a Cambodian naval base for an extended period, according to satellite images. \
As far back as 2016, Cambodia has expressed interest in acquiring two warships from China. In a 2022 speech, Banh said the modernization of Ream would see Cambodia tackle more "complicated technical tasks" including operating "modern ships" equipped with missiles, which would require new training and skills.
Asked via message whether the Chinese contingent was training Cambodia's navy to take over responsibility for new ships, base commander Mey Dina said "yes" but did not answer further questions about how long it would take or what vessels would be acquired.
"Nothing is negative as you think," he wrote, adding, "I've already answered all these questions. Thanks."
The prolonged presence adds to concerns long expressed by Washington that Ream would be used to host Chinese military assets. Beijing has funded upgrades at the site and dredging of the surrounding bay, while facilities previously built by the U.S. were knocked down and the headquarters for cooperation with neighboring Vietnam was moved outside the base.
A banner displayed during the June 2022 groundbreaking ceremony for the China-backed development promotes the construction of a pier and dry dock at the southern end of the base, as well as upgrades to a maintenance workshop.
But there has been little public information about work in the north of the site, including the deep-draft pier, various buildings and what CSIS said appeared to be living quarters surrounding four regulation-size basketball courts. The Wall Street Journal in 2019 reported that Cambodia had signed a secret pact with China that would give the latter exclusive rights to a portion of the 87-hectare base.
Cambodia's former prime minister Hun Sen repeatedly denied reports there were plans to let China use Ream as a base, weighing in again this month to call the claims "slanderous." Hun Sen, who is now leader of the ruling party and Senate president, also rejected reports that a China-funded canal project could be used for military purposes.
His son, Hun Manet, who was installed as prime minister last August, reiterated in January there would be no foreign military bases in the country as it was forbidden by Cambodia's constitution.
The Royal Cambodian Navy's coastal fleet currently includes four Soviet-era Stenka patrol boats, two of which are unseaworthy, four PC42 Chinese-built patrol boats and a few more small vessels.
One former member of the diplomatic community, who has deep knowledge of developments at Ream in recent years, said operating a larger class of vessel would be a "quantum leap" for Cambodian sailors, who would require intense training.
"It's exactly what you would expect, getting an early start on the knowledge and skills transfer needed to operate warships as everything for the Cambodians is going to be new -- the engine, the communications and the weapons," the individual said.
The arrangement also could provide cover for an ongoing presence at the site, the individual said.
CSIS noted no other ships, including Cambodian vessels, had used the new pier, and a recent visit by two Japanese destroyers was routed to Sihanoukville Autonomous Port rather than Ream.
"If you're coming for a visit or an exercise, you don't stay for five months," said Gregory Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS. "Which means that this is either a rotational deployment or a permanent deployment.
"It means that there are presumably Chinese personnel who have been living on the base for the last five months, and that's noteworthy particularly because the Cambodians continue to insist that this isn't a Chinese base, and anybody can use it. And yet, as far as we can tell, only one person is using it."
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