A question from the BBC: “Does China now have a permanent military base in Cambodia?” (October 7, 2024).
In March 2024, Newsweek reported that “China’s only publicly acknowledged foreign military base is in Djibouti,” a small country next to Ethiopia and across the water from Yemen.
Newsweek also reported in the March story that according to an annual assessment published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in addition to developing a military base in Djibouti and a “military facility” at Ream Naval Base in Cambodia, “Beijing reportedly is considering pursuing military facilities in multiple locations, including—but not limited to—Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and the UAE.”
Expanding
Now the BBC is pointing to satellite imagery taken across a span of years that seems to confirm “that China is expanding its military footprint, beyond the three disputed islands in the South China Sea which it has already seized and fortified,” and that China is expanding this military footprint in Cambodia.
The shapes [gray shapes visible from satellites] are type 056A corvettes of the Chinese navy—1,500-tonne warships—and they have been berthed alongside a new, Chinese-built pier that is big enough to accommodate much larger vessels. Onshore there are other facilities, also built by China, which are presumed to be for the use of the Chinese navy.
The Cambodian government has repeatedly denied such a possibility, citing its constitution, which bans any permanent foreign military presence, and stating that Ream is open to use by all friendly navies.
“Please understand this is a Cambodian, not a Chinese base,” said Seun Sam, a Policy Analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia.
“Cambodia is very small, and our military capacities are limited. We need more training from outside friends, especially from China.”
Facility? Base? Temporary parking spot?
The Cambodian government is either lying or dumb or both. If it regards the government of China as a friend, that’s evidence in favor of the interpretation of dumbness. If Cambodian analysts and officials really believe that China is pouring resources into a military base in Cambodia, including Chinese warships, just to train Cambodians, the existence of such a belief further supports the thesis. The Chinese government will be interested in distributing whatever the Cambodian officials are smoking to the government officials of other countries in which the People’s Liberation Army wishes to establish itself.
Personnel, weapons, warships
The story of the Chinese involvement in the Ream not-a-base goes back at least to 2019, when, says the BBC, The Wall Street Journal “reported on what it said was a leaked agreement between Cambodia and China to lease 77 hectares of the base for 30 years. This allegedly included the stationing of military personnel and weapons.
“The Cambodian government dismissed the report as fake news—but it is noteworthy that only Chinese warships have so far been allowed to dock at the new pier.”
