image source,PANN BONY/Getty Image
Cambodian Defense Minister Di Ban and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian at the groundbreaking ceremony
Just one day after the outside world reported that China was secretly building a naval base in Cambodia, the Chinese official confirmed on June 8 that the upgrading and reconstruction project of China’s assistance to the Cambodian Naval Base in Yunyang officially started.
According to the news published on the official website of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, the Chinese ambassador attended the groundbreaking ceremony and delivered a speech: China’s aid to the upgrading and reconstruction project of the Yunyang naval base “complies with the domestic laws of the two countries, relevant international laws and international practices, and is not aimed at any third party.”
He said that this project is an important symbol of the “hardcore” friendship between the two countries and the two militaries and another monument of mutually beneficial cooperation, “The Chinese military will, as always, provide assistance to the Cambodian military within its capacity, and promote the military cooperation between the two countries to continue to advance. New steps and new progress.”
Reports of “China building naval base in Cambodia” have appeared frequently over the past few years. Just one day before the groundbreaking ceremony, the Washington Post disclosed that Chinese officials will participate in the “ground-breaking” ceremony of the base in Cambodia.
The Washington Post report also quoted unnamed U.S. officials as saying that China was secretly building naval facilities in Cambodia “for the exclusive use” of the Chinese military. The newspaper also said a Chinese official in Beijing also confirmed that “a part of the base” would be used by “the Chinese military,” but denied that the military was “dedicated” and said scientists would also use the facility.
With the official start of the project, what the outside world has been paying attention to for many years can be described as “boots landing”. What kind of “mutual benefits” can the Yunyang base provide for China and Cambodia?
image source,Chinese Embassy in Cambodia
Yunyang base and China and the United States contest
Ream Naval Base is located in Sihanoukville, Sihanoukville, southwestern Cambodia, facing the Gulf of Thailand and close to the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca.
Since 2010, the Yunyang base has been the site of annual joint training and naval exercises between Cambodia and the United States under the “Maritime Cooperative Preparedness and Training” program. But in 2017, just before the annual training between the two countries was about to take place, Cambodia abruptly announced that it was suspending the cooperation that had lasted for many years. It is believed that the most fundamental reason is that the military relationship between Cambodia and China is closer, because in December 2016, the Cambodian and Chinese troops held the first joint training code-named “Golden Dragon”.
In August 2019, Brigadier General Joel B. Vowell of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command publicly stated for the first time that Cambodia and China were planning to establish a Chinese naval base at the Yunyang base.
In 2019, the Wall Street Journal quoted U.S. officials as saying that China and Cambodia had reached a “secret agreement” in which China financed the reconstruction of Yunyang base facilities in exchange for exclusive use of the base.
In September 2020, Cambodia dismantled the US-built naval tactical headquarters and small patrol boat repair warehouse at the base. Satellite imagery released in October 2020 by the Center for International Strategic Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank, shows the change.
image source,Google Maps
Cambodia’s Yunyang Naval Base faces the Gulf of Thailand, is close to the Strait of Malacca, the world‘s major transportation hub, and is also close to the vast South China Sea.
On June 1, 2021, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, and asked Cambodia to respond to the U.S.-funded dismantling of two U.S.-funded naval bases in Yunyang without notice or explanation. buildings to clarify. Sherman said that China’s construction of military bases in Cambodia will damage Cambodia’s sovereignty, threaten regional security, and have a negative impact on US-Cambodia relations. She also urged Cambodian leaders to maintain an independent and balanced foreign policy in the best interests of the Cambodian people.
In November 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against CHAU Phirun, director of the General Directorate of Military Technical Equipment of the Cambodian Ministry of Defense, and Tea Vinh, commander of the Royal Cambodian Navy, for allegedly violating the law in 2020 and 2021. Other Cambodian officials have colluded to inflate the cost of a construction project at the Yunyang naval base.
In January 2022, the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) under the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US think tank, said that excavators had appeared at the Yunyang naval base. According to the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative, the dredging project means that “the function of the Yunyang base may be significantly improved”. “The water level around the base is shallow, and currently only small patrol ships can dock. If a deep-water port is built, it will be very important for Cambodia and China. would be more useful to the Navy.”
Before the official start of construction, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had actually indirectly disclosed the existence of this project.
In response to the Washington Post’s report on June 7, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on the same day: “The reconstruction of the Yunyang base aims to strengthen the Cambodian Navy’s efforts to maintain maritime territorial integrity and combat maritime crimes. ability.”
image source,Xinhua
On December 17, 2021, the groundbreaking ceremony of the project of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense for the construction of the ASEAN Military Gun Shooting Arena and Gendarmerie Training Center in Cambodia was held in Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia. China says it is a “close neighbor and die-hard friend” with Cambodia.
He also said: China and Cambodia are comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, and the cooperation between the two countries in various fields is open, transparent, reasonable and just.
Zhao Lijian emphasized that the Cambodian constitution does not allow foreign countries to build military bases in Cambodia. In addition, he criticized the United States for “turning a deaf ear to Cambodia’s position, repeatedly making malicious speculations, attacking and smearing, and even threatening and putting pressure on Cambodia. This is a typical act of bullying.”
The strategic significance of Yunyang base
Although both China and Cambodia deny that the project at the Yunyang base is a dedicated Chinese naval base, this has not allayed external concerns.
Australian Prime Minister Albanis, who took office not long ago, expressed concern about this and called on China to be more transparent and ensure that its actions are conducive to regional security and stability.
Although China has so far only had its only overseas military base in Djibouti, East Africa, the US Department of Defense pointed out in the 2020 “China Military and Security Development Report” that China is likely to consider and plan to build a military base in addition to its military base in Djibouti. Other overseas facilities provide support to its navy, air force and ground forces.
U.S. officials say Cambodia’s outpost facilitates China’s foothold in Southeast Asia, and the Unrang port base gives Chinese troops the ability to cover vital sea lanes linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
As the world‘s largest oil importer, China relies on water transport for 85% of its oil transportation, most of which passes through the Strait of Malacca. The importance of the location of the Yunyang base is close to the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, which is why it has attracted so much attention.