HEADLINE: PHNOM PENH- US urges transparency at Ream Naval Base project

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The United States has urged the Cambodian government to be fully transparent about the project at Ream Naval Base after the Minister of Defence said the modernisation of the naval facility with the support from Beijing will “move forward”.

In an email to Khmer Times, US Embassy spokesperson Stephanie Arzate said the Cambodian government has acknowledged that China “is engaged in a significant, ongoing construction project at Ream Naval Base”.

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She said during their August 4 meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Prime Minister Hun Sen to be fully transparent about China’s activities at the naval base, emphasising that an “exclusive presence would risk damaging Cambodia’s sovereignty, regional security, and ASEAN unity”.

“We encourage the Government of Cambodia to be fully transparent about the intent, nature, and scope of the project at Ream and the role the PRC military is playing in its construction, raising concerns about the intended use of this naval facility,” she added.

The reaction was made as the Minister of Defence General Tea Banh told reporters upon his return from China last week that modernisation of the naval base with the support from Beijing will “move forward”, noting that for the government, it is “not necessary to listen to other” concerns on the Kingdom’s sovereignty.

The project includes the construction of a dry dock, pier, and rehabilitation of the slipway but both the Cambodian and Chinese government have denied the Kingdom is giving China exclusive rights to part of a Cambodian naval installation.

China said construction at the naval base is based on mutual respect and equal dialogue between the two nations in accordance with domestic laws, international laws and the international code of conduct.

Gen Banh has said the Kingdom reserves the right to accept foreign aid in the form of military equipment, weapons, ammunition, training of the armed forces and other assistance to defend itself and ensure public order and security within the country.

He noted that Cambodia’s effort to develop and strengthen the capabilities of the Cambodian military was to better its defence abilities and not intended to threaten any country in the region.

Additionally, during his meeting with more than a dozen government officials and legislators including Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol and National Assembly Member Suos Yara last week, US Senator Edward Markey, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asia, Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Subcommittee, also raised concerns about reports that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is building a facility for Chinese use at the naval base.

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“They should be skeptical of Chinese military ambitions in Cambodia and prevent any base for use by the PLA, which is prohibited by the Cambodian Constitution,” Markey said.

He also urged the government to live up to the promise of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements and embrace the freedoms of expression, civil and political rights.

But the government reaffirmed what Prime Minister Hun Sen said at the ASEAN-US Special Summit in Washington in May that “no foreign military bases would be allowed on Cambodian territory.