Joint training centre and carrier-ready pier reflect Beijing’s strategic efforts to diversify regional maritime access, observer says
Cambodian soldiers walk in formation during the inauguration ceremony for the upgraded Ream Naval Base and the Cambodia-China joint logistics and training centre on April 5. Photo: AFP
Enoch Wong
Published: 10:00pm, 6 Apr 2025Updated: 12:46pm, 7 Apr 2025
Published: 10:00pm, 6 Apr 2025Updated: 12:46pm, 7 Apr 2025
The completion of Chinese-sponsored upgrades to a naval base in Cambodia is part of Beijing’s bigger plan to break maritime chokepoints and de-risk supply chains, according to a Hong Kong-based analyst.
Chinese and Cambodian officials, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), attended a ceremony at the Ream Naval Base to launch the new facilities on Saturday.
The upgrades include a joint logistics and training centre and a 650-metre (2,130-foot) pier that can handle big warships such as aircraft carriers – vessels that Cambodia’s navy does not have.
‘Nothing to hide’: Cambodia hails reopening of naval base renovated by China
The Chinese defence ministry said the facility was designed to “strengthen practical military cooperation” – supporting regional counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The ministry added that it “does not target any third party” – an apparent reference to US concerns about potential exclusive PLA access to the site.
Brian Wong, a fellow at the Centre on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong, said the facility reflected Beijing’s strategic efforts to diversify regional maritime access as part of its broader Belt and Road Initiative.
In particular, the base would improve access to the strategic Andaman Sea, bypassing chokepoints imposed by Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia, he said.
Chinese and Cambodian officials, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), attended a ceremony at the Ream Naval Base to launch the new facilities on Saturday.
The upgrades include a joint logistics and training centre and a 650-metre (2,130-foot) pier that can handle big warships such as aircraft carriers – vessels that Cambodia’s navy does not have.
‘Nothing to hide’: Cambodia hails reopening of naval base renovated by China
The Chinese defence ministry said the facility was designed to “strengthen practical military cooperation” – supporting regional counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The ministry added that it “does not target any third party” – an apparent reference to US concerns about potential exclusive PLA access to the site.
Brian Wong, a fellow at the Centre on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong, said the facility reflected Beijing’s strategic efforts to diversify regional maritime access as part of its broader Belt and Road Initiative.
In particular, the base would improve access to the strategic Andaman Sea, bypassing chokepoints imposed by Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia, he said.
“These moves show China is keen to circumvent existing bottlenecks that are likely to be targeted by the United States,” Wong said.
The Chinese support for the base has also been seen as a possible security guarantee for the Funan Techo Canal, a US$1.7 billion belt and road project launched in August to connect the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh with the Gulf of Thailand.
The canal would reduce Chinese and Cambodian reliance on shipping routes controlled by neighbouring Vietnam, but construction of the Chinese-funded project has yet to start.
Some observers have suggested that the completion of the Ream base upgrades could mean that the canal had a security guarantee and that the work could get under way on the project. Wong said the idea that the two projects were linked was “nothing out of the norm or surprising”.
However, Wong cautioned that the canal project “will not restart unless the Chinese yield on ownership structures”.
Wong said the base upgrades and the canal were also part of Beijing’s desire to stabilise supply chains – an issue that came into sharp focus last week with US President Donald Trump announcing sweeping import tariffs.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (centre) receives a guard of honour during the inauguration ceremony, at Ream Naval Base on April 5. Photo: AFP
The joint centre and related infrastructure projects offer secure alternative routes for trade amid such uncertainties.
“[China wants to] de-risk its supply chains and trade, as well as increase decentralisation and reduce overdependence upon one or two particular partners in Asean,” Wong said, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Nevertheless, he said, the administration of Hun Manet “isn’t about to put all its eggs in China’s basket”, with the prime minister more inclined to “put the country on the path of hedging, not bandwagoning” – in contrast to his father and predecessor, Hun Sen.
During Saturday’s ceremony, Hun Manet affirmed that Cambodia adhered to its constitution, which prohibits any foreign military base on its territory.
Wong said Hun Manet wanted to “diversify beyond China in terms of strategic alignment and positioning, though [Cambodia] will remain very open to capital investments from China”.
For China, the Ream centre marked “a new model of cooperation” between the PLA and foreign armed forces, Chinese state-run Global Times quoted military expert Zhang Junshe as saying on Saturday.
“Unlike China’s support base in Djibouti, which is independently operated by the PLA, the Ream training centre is jointly built, jointly used and jointly maintained,” Zhang said.
According to the Chinese defence ministry, “the centre is the result of mutual respect and equal consultation between the two governments”.
“It complies with the domestic laws of both countries, relevant international law, and global practice.”
China helps upgrade Cambodian naval base, as nations dismiss Western fears about Beijing’s plans
After the launch, the two militaries kicked off their annual “Golden Dragon” joint exercise, which this year includes naval components such as coordinated manoeuvres, maritime communication and equipment handling.
Meanwhile, a Japanese warship will make an official visit to Cambodia this month, becoming the first foreign vessel to dock at the upgraded Ream facility, according to General Vong Pisen, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
Enoch Wong joined the Post in 2024 as a Senior Reporter on the China Desk after over a decade with institutions like Tsinghua University and UN-affiliated organisations across Asia, Africa and
The joint centre and related infrastructure projects offer secure alternative routes for trade amid such uncertainties.
“[China wants to] de-risk its supply chains and trade, as well as increase decentralisation and reduce overdependence upon one or two particular partners in Asean,” Wong said, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Nevertheless, he said, the administration of Hun Manet “isn’t about to put all its eggs in China’s basket”, with the prime minister more inclined to “put the country on the path of hedging, not bandwagoning” – in contrast to his father and predecessor, Hun Sen.
During Saturday’s ceremony, Hun Manet affirmed that Cambodia adhered to its constitution, which prohibits any foreign military base on its territory.
Wong said Hun Manet wanted to “diversify beyond China in terms of strategic alignment and positioning, though [Cambodia] will remain very open to capital investments from China”.
For China, the Ream centre marked “a new model of cooperation” between the PLA and foreign armed forces, Chinese state-run Global Times quoted military expert Zhang Junshe as saying on Saturday.
“Unlike China’s support base in Djibouti, which is independently operated by the PLA, the Ream training centre is jointly built, jointly used and jointly maintained,” Zhang said.
According to the Chinese defence ministry, “the centre is the result of mutual respect and equal consultation between the two governments”.
“It complies with the domestic laws of both countries, relevant international law, and global practice.”
China helps upgrade Cambodian naval base, as nations dismiss Western fears about Beijing’s plans
After the launch, the two militaries kicked off their annual “Golden Dragon” joint exercise, which this year includes naval components such as coordinated manoeuvres, maritime communication and equipment handling.
Meanwhile, a Japanese warship will make an official visit to Cambodia this month, becoming the first foreign vessel to dock at the upgraded Ream facility, according to General Vong Pisen, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
Enoch Wong joined the Post in 2024 as a Senior Reporter on the China Desk after over a decade with institutions like Tsinghua University and UN-affiliated organisations across Asia, Africa and
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