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Two Sugar The warships arrived in Cambodia on Friday on what China called a friendship and training visit to Cambodia, Beijing’s closest ally. Southeast AsiaAt a time of some diplomatic unease.
The visit comes at a time when China is trying to maintain a delicate balance in its relations with Cambodia and neighboring countries ThailandWith whom it is also friendly.
The two Southeast Asian nations were in a five-day armed conflict in late July over competing claims to the border area, and Beijing’s supply of arms to Cambodia has caused irritation in Thailand. The border dispute has not been resolved and tension remains.
Cambodian navy spokesman Sam Sokha said on Wednesday the main goal of the visit was to strengthen cooperation and the warships were not intended to show support for Cambodia in the border dispute.
The amphibious warfare ship Yimeng Shan and the training ship Qijiguang departed for the civilian port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand and are scheduled to leave next Tuesday, after which they are scheduled to make similar visits to Thailand and Singapore.
One sign of easing political concerns could be for the ship to stop at a commercial port instead of the nearby Ream Naval Base, which some Western military analysts fear is actually a Chinese base.
China funded massive naval base expansion project, further hardening US government suspicions Beijing The claim that special and exclusive privileges have been granted to use it covertly has been repeatedly and strongly refuted by the Cambodian authorities.
China has greatly expanded its naval fleet and operations over the past decades. The gulf adjoins the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely, and provides access to the Strait of Malacca, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.
Rear Admiral Sokhemra, Deputy Chief of Naval Base Reem Naval Base welcomed the visitors. “Every year, foreign ships often come to Sihanoukville, Cambodia, to conduct cooperative exercises and strengthen friendship and solidarity, whether from China, the Philippines, Australia or the United States,” he told reporters.
Without specifically mentioning the ships’ visit, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin posted on his Facebook page late Wednesday that China is committed to helping protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and will always be a reliable partner in the country’s development.
“China firmly supports Cambodia in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests and will always be a reliable partner in Cambodia’s development,” the post said.
The welcoming crowd included a large group of ethnic Chinese citizens. Sihanoukville is a hub for Chinese investment, but also for Chinese-run criminal activities, most notably scam centers that carry out large-scale online fraud and are often staffed by foreigners who have been duped and tricked into working there.
Members of the crowd raised Chinese flags and Chinese-language placards to welcome the ships, and a traditional Chinese dragon dance was performed as the captain of one of the ships disembarked.