China and Cambodia Hold Joint Military Drills at Newly Upgraded Naval Base

China participated in joint military drills with Cambodia on Sunday in the Gulf of Thailand at the newly upgraded Ream Naval Base, located in Cambodia’s southwestern province of Sihanoukville.

On Saturday, Cambodian and Chinese inaugurated the newly upgraded naval base. The project began in 2022 and was funded by China.

China will also have a "joint logistics and training center" which will be permanently staffed by Chinese and Cambodian military personnel. The base will become China’s second permanent foreign military installation, after its naval support base in Djibouti. 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated at the ceremony on Saturday that the base will be open to all friendly countries and that Cambodia will remain a neutral country.

Chinese naval vessels have been travelling to and from Ream Naval Base since the project began in 2022, much to the concern of the U.S. and the Western powers. 

Last month, Daniel Kritenbrink, an Assistant U.S. Secretary of State, expressed concerns about the base and warned that Cambodia would have its sovereignty threatened if they allowed a Chinese military presence at the base.

The U.S. had originally offered to conduct repairs at the base but the Cambodian government would instead demolish a U.S. built facility there in 2020 and would sign an agreement with China to do upgrades and refurbishment there.

Having a logistics and support base in the Gulf of Thailand would allow China to expand its scope of naval operations and its presence in the region. Especially as it pertains to the Strait of Malacca, the passageway from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean that passes between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and is a vital international trade route.