The U.S. government on Monday called for full transparency from Cambodia about Beijing-backed refurbishments at its Ream Naval Base following confirmation by Phnom Penh of sand dredging activities at the site.<\/p>\n
In an emailed statement, Chad Roedemeier, the spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, told RFA\u2019s Khmer Service that Washington is aware of independent reporting that China is engaged in \u201ca significant, ongoing construction project at Ream Naval Base,\u201d located outside Cambodia\u2019s main port city of Sihanoukville.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe encourage Cambodian authorities to be fully transparent about the intent, nature and scope of this project \u2014 and the role the [Chinese] military is playing, which raises concerns about the intended use of the naval facility,\u201d Roedemeier said.<\/p>\n
The embassy statement came a day after a Cambodian Defense Ministry official confirmed sand dredging activity at the base to increase depth to 5-6 meters (16-20 feet) from 2 meters (7 feet).<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, in fact there is sand dredging activities \u2014 it appears they are creating a pass [for ships to dredge],\u201d the head of the Ream Naval Base Modernization Project, Gen. Chao Phirun, told RFA of the Chinese activities at the base on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the Ministry of National Defense that sent people to help pump and dredge the sediment to make way for access, but the area is very shallow, and the ships might not make it. If [we] want to dredge, we\u2019ll have to spend a lot of money because the water is only 2 meters deep.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chao Phirun \u2014 one of two senior Cambodian military officials sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury and State Departments in November for conspiring to illicitly profit from the project at Ream \u2014 said it is unclear when the pumping will be completed because only one dredging barge is operating at the site. He acknowledged that workers and technical staff from China are working at the base but said no military personnel had been sent by Beijing.<\/p>\n
Chao Phirun spoke to RFA in response to a Jan. 21 report by the influential U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies\u2019 Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, which cited satellite imagery as showing two large dredging barges in operation at the Ream Naval Base.<\/p>\n
Secret agreement<\/strong><\/p>\n U.S. officials have voiced alarm for more than two years over the China-backed refurbishment of Ream Naval Base, following a 2019\u00a0Wall Street Journal report on a secret treaty granting the Chinese navy use of the base for 30 years. The claim was quickly denounced by the Cambodian government as \u201cfake news,\u201d but suspicions remain.<\/p>\n During a June visit to Cambodia, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman warned her hosts that a Chinese base in Cambodia would negatively impact relations with the United States.<\/p>\n The November sanctions against Chao Phirun and Ministry of Defense Tea Vinh were announced in conjunction with a Commerce Department advisory warning U.S. businesses of the \u201cpotential exposure to entities in Cambodia, such as the Cambodian military, that engage in human rights abuses, corruption, and other destabilizing conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n The arms embargo covers not just conventional weaponry, but also so-called \u201cdual-use\u201d equipment, which are items that could have both commercial and military or national security applications.<\/p>\n \u2018Accusations\u2019 denied<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking to RFA on Monday, Chao Phirun called claims about refurbishments at the Ream Naval Base \u201caccusations,\u201d and denied that China would use the site in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no Chinese military officials, only technicians and engineers. They came to help \u2026 study, survey, determine which plan to follow, because we don\u2019t have many naval experts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t a military force, it's a labor force. They are workers from a company that was successfully tendered by the Chinese Ministry of Defense. At the end of their jobs, they will go back home. They come in groups of 10 to 20 people. [But] there are no troops camping there.\u201d<\/p>\n When the project is completed, he said, the Cambodian navy will be able to use the site to repair its small ships, which previously required towing to neighboring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.<\/p>\n He said that the Chinese military is not welcome to use Ream Naval Base because doing so would violate Cambodia\u2019s constitution but added that Cambodia is entitled to receive training and military assistance from abroad as it sees fit.<\/p>\n Reported by RFA\u2019s Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n \n
\r\nThis content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia<\/a> and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
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