Image source: topwar.ru
China is expanding its military presence in other regions of the world by secretly building a naval base in Cambodia. This accusation was made by Western countries, writes The Washington Post.
The American edition, referring to the statements of unnamed Western officials, reports that China intends to build a new naval base for the PLA naval forces on the territory of Cambodia. Moreover, the construction is carried out secretly, neither China nor Cambodia advertise this fact.
- the newspaper quotes the words of officials.
According to the information available to the publication, the new PLA Navy facility will be located in the northern part of the Cambodian Navy Naval base Ream on the shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Work will begin in the near future, a solemn ceremony dedicated to the start of construction is scheduled for Thursday this week. Thus, according to the author of the article, China is expanding its influence in a particular region, while simultaneously creating a network of military facilities around the world as part of its strategy.
It should be noted that the likely appearance of the CRC naval base in Cambodia has been of great concern to the United States for a couple of years. Last year, Deputy Head of the US State Department Wendy Sherman came to Phnom Penh on an official visit, who expressed great concern about the presence of the Chinese military at the Ream naval base. However, Cambodia's Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Tea Ban, "reassured" the American, saying that Cambodia had attracted Chinese companies to build a port and a ship repair plant, Beijing had no plans to stay, and the base was open to all ships, including American ones.
The Ream Naval Base is located in Sihanoukville Province in Cambodia, on the shore of the Gulf of Thailand. The city of Sihanoukville is the main seaport of the country, where there is a civilian port in which the Chinese are actively investing. If China gets access to the Ream Navy, it will control the seas of Southeast Asia, which the United States does not like very much.
