Cambodia to inaugurate Ream naval base

The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) said today, March 18, that next month, Cambodia will inaugurate the Ream naval base after renovation.

"The first phase of the Ream base is expected to be inaugurated on April 2," Major General Thong Solimo, spokesman for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), told AFP.

Two Chinese military vessels at Cambodia's Ream naval base on December 16, 2024

Mr. Thong Solimo added that after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Cambodia will "allow a Japanese military ship to dock at Ream base first" and ships from other countries will also be allowed to dock at this port.

According to AFP news agency, Ream naval base was originally built with part funding from the US. Since 2022, China has been funding the renovation of Ream naval base.

Chinese warships first docked at the 363-meter-long port in December 2023. In December 2024, a US warship docked at Ream Port in the first US military port visit to Cambodia in eight years.

US warship returns to Ream base in Cambodia after 8 years

A senior US military commander visited Cambodia in February and met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to “expand bilateral defense ties.” Meanwhile, Cambodia is set to receive two warships from China to improve its defense capabilities.

Washington believes the Ream naval base, located off the southern coast of Cambodia, could give Beijing a strategically important position in the Gulf of Thailand, near the South China Sea.

Cambodian leaders have repeatedly stressed that the Ream naval base will not be reserved for the exclusive use of any foreign power.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/campuchia-sap-khanh-thanh-can-cu-hai-quan-ream-185250318155834631.htm