Cambodia has confirmed that China’s navy has been granted unrestricted access to the Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand, ending years of ambiguity over the depth of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Under the terms of the arrangement, Chinese warships will be able to dock, resupply, and conduct maintenance at Ream without prior Cambodian approval on a standing basis.
The United States called the arrangement “a threat to regional stability and sovereignty in the South China Sea.”
Vietnam filed a formal diplomatic protest, calling the arrangement a “direct violation” of Cambodian commitments.
China’s Foreign Ministry said the base arrangement was “purely defensive in nature.”
Cambodia’s opposition called the deal a betrayal of national sovereignty.
Sources: Reuters, AP, The Straits Times, Cambodia Daily, Voice of America, Al Jazeera.