China, Cambodia break ground on port, dismiss US concerns

China and Cambodia launched the expansion of the Ream Naval Base, with Asian officials stating the facility would not be accessible to foreign nations once complete.

Longtime authoritarian leader Hun Sen in 2019 reportedly granted China the right to set up a military base at Ream, but has long denied that, saying Cambodia’s Constitution prohibits foreign military facilities.

Dredging is already underway to allow larger ships to use the port. Tea Banh told guests, including the U.S. defense attaché, that it would still only be able to accommodate ships of up to 5,000 tons displacement — an improvement from the current 1,000 tons but too shallow for all but the smallest of naval ships.