Posing great danger to the united state, China has opened its naval base in Cambodia. According to reports, After North Korea and Pakistan, Cambodia is emerging as China’s closest ally. And the US isn’t too happy. But the Beijing-Phnom Penh relationship comes at a cost for Cambodians.
This week, we learnt that China is trying to build a facility at the Ream Naval Base in the south of Cambodia. The Washington Post has reported the construction of a Chinese naval facility north of Ream Naval Base on the Cambodian coast. According to the report, the alleged facility will be only the second of its kind after Djibouti in East Africa.
Beijing has carefully crafted its support in Phnom Penh by propping up Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government and directly helping him sustain power. Many have speculated about Cambodia’s decision to bandwagon with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
“Finally, on the decision-making level, the backing of the BRI may stem from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s pragmatic views of how to sustain his rule over the country,” wrote Thearith Leng of the Mekong Centre for Strategic Studies, Asian Vision Institute in Phnom Penh.
Discussion about this post