Japan has sent two naval ships to a Cambodian naval base which was recently upgraded using Chinese funds, heightening US concerns that it will be used as an outpost for China’s navy in the Gulf of Thailand.
The two Japanese naval ships docked at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base on Saturday. The two minesweepers are part of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force. Their visit marks the first foreign navy visit since the base's expansion project was completed earlier this month.
Japanese officials have developed closer ties with Cambodian counter parts in recent year, which experts say is in a bid to offset China’s influence in East and Southeast Asia. Japan had been invited to make the renovated port’s first call, widely seen as an attempt to allay Washington’s concerns.
Both Japanese ships made a four-day port call at the base’s new pier. Holding a total 170 sailors, they are the 141 metre Bungo and the 67 metre Etajima. The two ships were greeted by Cambodian officials including Rear Admiral Mean Savoeun, deputy commander of the base, who held a welcome ceremony.
Concerns about China’s activities at the Ream base emerged in 2019 following a Wall Street Journal report alleging a draft agreement that would grant China 30-year use of the base for military personnel, weapon storage, and warship berthing. The US government has publicly and repeatedly aired its concerns.
China and Cambodia have close political, military, and economic ties. They commenced the port project in 2022, which included the demolition of previous naval structures built by the US at the base.
Cambodia has stated that warships from all friendly countries are welcome to dock at the new pier, provided they meet certain conditions. When Japanese Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani announced the planned visit on Tuesday, he said Japan’s port call symbolizes friendship with Cambodia and is key to regional stability and peace.
He stated that the visit would help ensure Cambodia has an open and transparent naval port, while noting the concerns over China’s growing efforts to secure overseas outposts for military expansion.
The port call came just one day after Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a two-day state visit to Cambodia aimed at further strengthening China’s strong ties with its closest ally in Southeast Asia.
A statement on Saturday from Japan's embassy in Cambodia stated that the two vessels are on a mission that began in January to visit 11 countries across Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. The port call in Cambodia is considered a “historically significant event for Japan-Cambodia relations," it said.
The embassy emphasized that the journey of the Japanese vessels “underlines the importance of freedom of navigation, free and open international order based on international law, and its development."
In December last year, a US Navy warship called at the nearby civilian port of Sihanoukville on a five-day visit. The visit by the USS Savannah, carrying a crew of 103, was the first in eight years by a US military vessel to Cambodia.
