Sihanoukville, Cambodia — Two Chinese warships arrived last Friday for a friendship and training visit to Cambodia, a nation considered China's closest ally in Southeast Asia, amidst diplomatic tensions in the region.
The visit is part of China's efforts to maintain a delicate balance in its relations with Cambodia and neighboring Thailand, both of whom are experiencing strained ties due to a border dispute. In late July, Cambodia and Thailand engaged in a five-day armed conflict over contested border territory, a situation exacerbated by Beijing's supply of weaponry to Cambodia, which has irritated Thailand. The border issue remains unresolved, keeping tensions high between the two Southeast Asian nations.
According to Sam Sokha, a spokesperson for the Cambodian navy, the primary goal of the Chinese warship visit is to enhance cooperation, rather than signal support for Cambodia in its ongoing border dispute. The warships, identified as the amphibious warfare ship Yimeng Shan and the training ship Qijiguang, docked at Sihanoukville's civilian port, located on the Gulf of Thailand. They are scheduled to depart next Tuesday for similar engagements in Thailand and Singapore.
In a likely attempt to ease political concerns, the ships anchored at the commercial port instead of the nearby Ream Naval Base, which some Western military analysts suspect is a de facto Chinese base. China funded a significant expansion of the Ream Naval Base, heightening U.S. government suspicions that Beijing has been secretly granted exclusive rights to operate there—a claim that Cambodian officials have continually denied.
Over recent decades, China has dramatically expanded its naval fleet and operations. The Gulf of Thailand lies close to the strategically significant South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely, and provides expedited access to the Malacca Strait, one of the world's critical shipping lanes.
Rear Adm. In Sokhemra, deputy chief of the Ream Naval Base, welcomed the Chinese vessels. “Foreign ships frequently visit Sihanoukville for cooperative exercises and to bolster friendship and unity, whether hailing from China, the Philippines, Australia, or the United States,” he told journalists.
Illustrating his point, the Australian Navy's frigate HMAS Ballarat also docked on Friday, roughly 500 meters away from the Chinese ships. The Ballarat is on the Australian Defence Force's "Regional Presence Deployment," involving port visits and participation in exercises and cooperative activities with partner nations and demonstrating Australia's commitment to a secure, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. So far, the ship has engaged in a bilateral exercise with Brunei and a multilateral one with Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, as well as training with U.S. Navy vessels in the South China Sea.
While not explicitly addressing the visit of the Chinese warships, China's Ambassador to Cambodia, Wang Wenbin, stated on his Facebook page that China remains committed to assisting in protecting Cambodia’s sovereignty and will continue being a reliable partner in its development. “China firmly supports Cambodia in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security, and development interests and will always be a reliable partner in Cambodia's development,” read the post.
A large crowd of ethnic Chinese civilians joined the welcoming ceremony, waving Chinese flags and Chinese-language placards, with a traditional Chinese dragon dance performance as the ship's captain disembarked. Sihanoukville is not only a hub for Chinese investment but also a center for Chinese-run criminal activities, notably scam centers engaging in large-scale online fraud and often involving foreigners who have been deceived into working and detained there.
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