On the morning of 3.10 (Vietnam time), the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS, USA) published a report related to new developments at the marine base. Army Ream. This is a base located in the Sihanoukville province located on the shores of the Gulf of Thailand, south of the East Sea.
According to the AMTI report, satellite images on October 1 showed that the host government demolished a US-built facility at the Ream base. When analyzing the old images, the demolition is expected to occur after May 5 and will likely occur on September 10.
Comparing satellite images from August 22 (left) and October 1 (right), a US-built facility at Ream was demolished.
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The above base is one of the projects funded by the United States. Meanwhile, US-sponsored projects here are expected to be relocated after Cambodia reaches a secret deal with China. Therefore, the demolition of the facility has raised doubts about the secret agreement between Cambodia and China around the Ream base.
In 2019, The Wall Street Journal cited various sources that revealed that Phnom Penh and Beijing signed a secret agreement allowing the Chinese military access to the Ream naval base. More specifically, according to some anonymous US officials who received information about the aforementioned agreement, Cambodia allows Chinese warships and military to use the base for 30 years. News of the deal was further strengthened after Cambodia was believed to have rejected a request from the United States to help upgrade its Ream facility. After this information emerged, the Cambodian side denied it.
In late September, Cambodian media reported that Cambodian Defense Ministry Tea Banh met with Mr. W. Patrick Murphy, US Ambassador to Cambodia. During the meeting, Tea Banh was said to have made a commitment to the US side that only the Cambodian navy would use the Ream naval base.
The above information came after the United States State Department notified on September 15 that the country had just decided to sanction the United Development Group (UDG). This is a Chinese state company. According to Washington, UDG has invested in the Dara Sakor project in Koh Kong province and this project could be used for military purposes, threatening the stability of the Indo-Pacific.
Regarding the AMTI report of October 3, Reuters quoted a statement from the US Department of Defense that read: “We are concerned that the crushed US facility may be part of Cambodia’s plan to allow assets and forces. The Chinese army is present at the Ream naval base ”. Meanwhile, the Cambodian side has not responded to the above information.
