After 8 years, US warship prepares to dock in Cambodia

On December 13, the Cambodian Ministry of Defense announced that a US warship will dock in the country next week, marking the first time a US military ship has visited the Southeast Asian country in eight years.

US warship USS Savannah. (Source: US Navy)

In a statement, Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense said the five-day visit of the US warship USS Savannah to the southern port city of Sihanoukville aimed to "strengthen and expand friendship" and "promote bilateral cooperation between Phnom Penh and Washington."

According to AFP news agency, the ship's 103 crew members will meet the Ream base commander and participate in activities aimed at "enhancing cultural exchange and cooperation".

The ministry added that since 2007, 27 US naval ships have visited the country, but next week's five-day visit will be the first time a US ship has docked in the country in eight years.

The announcement follows a visit by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in June to Cambodia aimed at restoring ties with the country. Relations between Washington and Phnom Penh have deteriorated over the years, while China has spent billions of dollars investing in infrastructure in the Southeast Asian nation.

Since 2022, China has funded renovations to the Ream naval base, about 30 kilometers from Sihanoukville, which was originally built in part with U.S. funding. Washington believes Ream could give Beijing a strategically important location in the Gulf of Thailand near the South China Sea, much of which China claims .

However, Cambodian officials have repeatedly denied that the base is open to any foreign power.

Chinese warships first docked at the base in December 2023, and in May, two ships docked at Sihanoukville port as part of the largest-ever joint military exercise between China and Cambodia.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/sau-8-nam-tau-chien-my-chuan-bi-cap-cang-campuchia-297267.html