“The warships have arrived”: A Chinese outpost that scares the US

Alarms have been ringing for months, and now there will be some clear confirmation. there Chinese Navy Continued access Rheem Naval BaseIn Cambodia, maneuvering its naval vessels in a highly combustible regional environment marked by persistent tensions. The America They fear, and continue to say, that the facility could serve as a strategic maritime outpost for Beijing. Cambodian officials deny such rumours, insisting that the ongoing modernization project at the site is in line with the Cambodian constitution, which bans foreign military bases on the country's borders. For its part, the Chinese government is instead a “Assistance Program“To strengthen Cambodia Navy.

Chinese ships and base in Cambodia

As reported by the site Nikki Asia Review, Warships The Chinese first went to Rheims in early December. However, the last sighting dates back to March 20, amid growing US fears about the possibility that Beijing is building a structure within the base for its own exclusive use. In images obtained by Nikkei, one vessel has been identified as a Chinese Navy corvette ventionThe flag of China and the People's Liberation Army Navy flies.

Ream's site is strategically located near the entrance Gulf of ThailandUsed by the Cambodian Navy for access South China Sea. Its expansion — underway with China's help — has caught the attention of Western countries because the facility could become one of a kind. Outpost For the Chinese Navy. In a February meeting with the Cambodian Prime Minister Han ManetA Phnom Penh, Daniel CrittenbrinkThe US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs had told his opponent.serious concerns“On the Chinese Army's Involvement in the Construction of the Rim Base and Its Future Use.

American Concerns

Although the port of Riem is not exclusively and permanently used to station Chinese forces, regular access to the base by Beijing's assets could have implications for military operations in the South China Sea dispute between China and its rivals. Southeast Asian.

Always in the area, a Census More than half of the citizens of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) like their country, according to Singapore-based think tank Isias-Yusuf Ishak. Aligned If a choice had to be made between two superpowers, China instead of America. A markedly favorable orientation towards China emerged in ASEAN's 10 member states, particularly in Malaysia, where 75.1 percent of those interviewed chose it as Asia's leading power. Similar percentages were found in Indonesia (73.1 percent) and Laos (70.6 percent), both of which have received significant economic benefits from participating in China's Belt and Road Initiative. The Philippines and Vietnam — the two countries most exposed to China's territorial claims in the South China Sea — showed the opposite trend, with 80 percent or more of respondents expressing their closeness to the United States.

This is the first time China has surpassed the US in terms of preference since the annual survey began in 2020.

The news is another wake-up call for Washington.