Defence Cooperation between China and Cambodia: Why US is concerned?

In 2019, China signed a secret military deal agreement with Cambodia which gave Chinese armed forces the right to use a Cambodian navy base - Ream Naval Base. When the news about this surfaced, it was done so via the Wallstreet Journal and not by the ministries of either of the countries. This agreement gives China exclusive rights to operate and use a part of a Cambodian naval installation for 30 years, with automatic renewals every 10 years. While Cambodia denied the possibility of any such pack, it is widely speculated that the new military arrangement will expand China's military presence in the region.

If one goes and considers that such a military deal has been signed between Cambodia and China, it is pertinent to look at the geography and how the access to the naval base will aid China in its expansionist behavior. If one looks at Cambodia geographically, it is evident that China does not gain much from having access to the naval base. The waters off Cambodia coasts are not deep enough to be useful for a powerful navy like China's. In the Gulf of Thailand, these waters are estimated to be 50 meters deep. Near the Ream's Naval Base, which is on the bay of Kampong Som, the water is only 5 - 10 meters deep. The low depth is not conducive for China to undertake naval actions, especially if they use submarines (one of the most powerful weapons a navy can have). Even if the submarines have to launch an attack, they must create low noise and electromagnetic waves to avoid radar, which seems challenging in the shallow waters of Gulf of Thailand where the base is situated.

Apart from the logistics, the only geographical advantage of the Ream Naval base is that it can act as a halting point for China to control and protect its shipping lanes in the Malacca Strait. Malacca Strait is a piracy infected area which is of importance to China because its energy imports take place through the strait. But China is perfectly capable of protecting and controlling the strait even without the use of Cambodian territory. Concurrently, establishment of a Chinese base in Cambodia stands to provoke Cambodia's neighbors, a move which is of no use to China. So even if there is a secret military arrangement between China and Cambodia on the usage of Ream Naval Base, China does not stand to gain militarily or economically from this arrangement.

While the possibility of economic and military advantage of having access to Ream’s Naval Base is low, it does have security implications in the geopolitical arena. Cambodia's neighbor, Thailand has moved closer to China by increasing armed deals and military exercises. It may seem that Thailand is distancing itself from Washington, but that is not the case. In 2019, Thailand signed a $400 million arms sale with the USA. Thailand has also displayed the military relationship publicly on many occasions. Meanwhile, Vietnam, Cambodia's neighboring country in the east, has also enlarged its military capabilities and has been engaging more closely with the U.S on security issues. According to the SIPRI database, Vietnam has ranked in the top 11 nations for arms purchases in the period of 2012-2019. This increased military purchases can be a result of increasing tensions in the South China Sea.

By having access to a naval base, China can use the location to keep track of U.S and allied participation in the Gulf of Thailand. At the same time, China stands to benefit from the agreement as it would lead to the eventual construction of the long-imagined canal across the narrow Isthmus of Kra in south of Thailand, a project which Beijing has taken a strong interest in. If the construction of such a project is possible, then it would reduce China's heavy dependence on the Malacca Strait. But the massive project would be expensive for China and it is yet to see whether China would like to undertake such a project whose deliverables seem to be ambiguous.

While the access to Ream Naval Base may not be of much advantage to China, it surely has raised concerns from the Pentagon. Cambodia and China share a deep friendship and their cooperation has increased steadily in the past decade. Taking advantage of sour relations between Cambodia and the U.S., China has invested billions of dollars in the form of investments and loans as a part of Belt and Road global infrastructure plan and much of these projects are located around the deep-water port of Siahnoukville, which is around 10 miles way from Ream. The U.S has raised its concerns over the possibility of military agreement between Cambodia and China. The U.S strongly believes that the military agreement has been signed between the two countries as the issue was raised by Mike Pence via a letter and then by the Cambodian government itself when they refused the U.S aid to renovate the Ream Naval Base facility. In March 2021 at the hearing in the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, then commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Philip Davidson said that in September 2020, Cambodia razed a U.S built facility on Ream Naval Base that served as headquarters for the National Committee on Maritime Security. The move was made to make way for a Chinese naval base.

In the month of June 2021, a satellite image release by Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S based think tank, shows that two new buildings have been constructed recently on the site. According to sources, there was a single pier where dozens of patrol crafts used to dock. But now there are reports that China would build two new piers - one for Chinese use and one for Cambodian. An early draft on the speculation of military agreement between the countries, highlights that China's personnel would be allowed to carry weapons and Cambodian passports. Cambodians would require permission from the Chinese to enter the 62-acre Chinese section of Ream. According to a letter from the Cambodian defence ministry to the U.S, the U.S funded facilities at Ream are to be relocated to allow further construction of infrastructure and security enhancement.

U.S fears that after combining the Cambodian facilities with China and other military outposts in the South China Sea, China has created a rectangular perimeter boxing in all of mainland Southeast Asia. It would give China greater access to the waterways connecting the Pacific and Indian Ocean. This complicated the ability of the U.S and allies to counter Chinese influence in the region. U.S is also worried that it might not be able to provide time aid to Taiwan, if one day China plans to attack the island, given that American forces will have to arrive via Strait of Malacca or outer reaches of South China Sea.

Cambodia has leaned heavily on China and has not paid much heed to America’s outreach for being greater security partners. A Chinese company has been working to construct Cambodia's largest airport in Dara Sakor province. Union Group said that it is a $3.8 billion plan to develop the 36,000 hectares (89,000 acres) of land—including about 20% of Cambodia’s coastline—that it leased in 2008. The company also plans to build five-star tourists’ resorts, golf courses, marinas, two container ports, industrial zones as well as a new city of luxury residence.

It is safe to say that Cambodia has cemented its relationship with China and this has led to creation of a greater drift between U.S-Cambodia relationship. Cambodia's relationship with the European Union has also deteriorated as claims of human rights abuses have made countries censor Cambodia. Hun Sen's government is currently in power in Cambodia has led a tight regime as it dissolved the main opposition party (Cambodian National Rescue Party) and has prosecuted several protestors and activists. The similarity in governance style and Cambodia’s aspiration to develop rapidly has created a deep friendship between the two nations.

China has already set up its first military base in Djibouti and Cambodia's Ream Naval Base seems to be a second overseas outpost. U.S State department has urged Cambodia to reject any Chinese military presence on its sovereign soil which would disturb the coherence of the region. Cambodia has not paid heed to this and has said that it has every right to accept help for the development of its country. It is safe to say that China may not reap huge economic benefits from the military deal (if it has happened) but it surely has made a strategic move to secure its security interests as well as facilitate economic advantages via Belt and Road Initiatives in future. While Cambodia too, is reaping benefits from this relationship, it would not be a surprise if one day they realize that they were nothing but a mere pawn in China’s expansionist foreign policy strategy.

Pic Courtesy-Ben Stern at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)