The Cambodian city, once a sleepy beach getaway, has transformed into a bustling hub for casinos and hotels in recent years as Prime Minister Hun Sen rolls out the red carpet for Chinese investment. But China’s growing clout there – in particular, Beijing’s decision to fund the expansion of the Ream base – has caused alarm both in the US and among the city’s locals.
A Cambodian soldier stopped this reporter’s car as it approached the base. A palpable tension gripped Ream, unlike during previous trips there.
“Few residents get close to the base now,” a local journalist said, describing an increase in traffic instead by Chinese individuals believed to be involved in construction at Ream. Large trucks loaded to the brim with dirt queued up near the base, though they could not be tied immediately to the expansion.
Cambodia announced the Chinese-backed expansion of Ream in early June. A satellite photo from early July analysed by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies showed what appeared to be a new pier at the site.
Sihanoukville, about a four-hour drive from the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, began experiencing an influx of Chinese business around five years ago. Chinese now can be heard all over the city, and streets are full of signs written in Chinese characters. At one restaurant, nearly every staffer and every customer appeared to be Chinese.
Ream Naval Base is on the Gulf of Thailand, near areas of China’s competing maritime claims with Vietnam, the Philippines and others in the South China Sea. The Washington Post in June reported that a “portion of the base” will be used by the Chinese military, citing a Chinese official in Beijing.
The official denied the base will be used exclusively by the military, saying scientists will receive access as well. But concerns exist that the facility could serve as China’s second military hub overseas. China operates a support base in the African country of Djibouti.
During an August meeting, US secretary of state Antony Blinken urged full transparency from Hun Sen regarding Chinese military activity at Ream. Cambodia’s official position is that its constitution bars foreign military bases in the country.
China’s presence in Cambodia is spreading beyond Sihanoukville. About a three-hour drive northwest from the base lies Dara Sakor International Airport, which is expected to begin commercial operations soon. The airport was developed by a Chinese company with Chinese funds. A Chinese player also will be involved in its operation.
Though the entire region surrounding Dara Sakor has a population of 100,000, the airport is home to Cambodia’s longest runway, at 3,200m. The US worries that the facility could be used as a military hub.
The growing tensions between the US and China over Taiwan and the South China Sea are widely known.
“I hope we don’t get dragged into an international conflict,” said a taxi driver in Sihanoukville.