The Cambodian government last week revealed plans to develop an air defence center and expand the radar system at Ream National Park, near the naval base in Sihanoukville province.
For years, the US government has warned that the Ream naval base is being secretly developed to become China’s second overseas military base and the first in the Indian Ocean region. -Pacific.
While the new plans may simply indicate Cambodia’s desire to bolster its weak military infrastructure, experts say the developments will also improve surveillance capabilities. monitor and reinforce Ream’s strategic value to China.
Government disclosure reveals that Prime Minister Hun Sen has assigned 157 hectares to the Ministry of National Defense on September 15, 2022, for the development of “Air Defense Command and Headquarters”. Another 30 hectares have been allocated for a “naval radar system”.
For several years, the U.S. government has warned that the Ream naval base is secretly being developed to become China’s second overseas military base and first in the Indo-Pacific region. While the new plans may simply indicate Cambodia’s desire to bolster its weak military infrastructure, experts say the developments would also enhance surveillance-gathering capabilities and strengthen Ream’s strategic value for China.
The government’s disclosure revealed that Prime Minister Hun Sen allocated 157 hectares to the Ministry of National Defense on Sept. 15, 2022 to develop an “air defense command and general headquarters.” An additional 30 hectares were granted for a “naval radar system.”
A defense ministry spokesperson said there would be no Chinese funding, support or presence at these facilities.
“Having a facility that large, that close by, is a major expansion of the military footprint [at Ream],” said Harrison Pretat, associate director at the Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
The existing marina at Ream naval base is around 60 hectares. An air defense system would likely include surface-to-air missiles and hardened shelters, Pretat said.
China and Cambodia have an increasingly close military relationship. Earlier this month, the two nations held joint-naval exercises for the first time in Cambodian waters. In a November 2022 report, the U.S. Department of Defense warned that China “is very likely already considering and planning for additional military logistics facilities to support naval, air and ground forces projection,” in Cambodia and other nations.
The development of additional bases would involve “obfuscating the scale and scope of PRC political and military interests,” the report added.
“We urge Cambodia to closely examine the agreements its defense officials have made with Beijing to ensure the PRC will not be allowed presence or sensitive technology at the base that undermine Cambodia’s sovereignty and affect regional stability,” said U.S. embassy spokesperson Stephanie Arzate.
China opened its first overseas military base in the east African nation of Djibouti in 2017.