[Asia Economy Reporter Eunju Lee] Reports have emerged that the United States is repeatedly pressuring Cambodia amid news that China is pushing to build a naval base in Cambodia.
According to a report on the 5th (local time) by the U.S. foreign and security affairs media Foreign Policy (FP), the Joe Biden administration urged the Cambodian government to transparently disclose information related to China's naval base construction.
On the 6th (local time), the U.S. Washington Post (WP) reported, citing anonymous Chinese officials, that a naval base for the stationing of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is planned near the Ream naval base in southwestern Cambodia. Both China and Cambodia denied this. Cambodia claimed that the Ream base would be accessible not only to China but also to multiple countries.
A U.S. Department of Defense official also reiterated demands for transparency regarding the Ream base at the 9th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) held in Cambodia from the 22nd to 24th of last month. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attended the meeting. At that time, a senior Defense Department official said, "We believe it is important for Cambodia to be transparent about matters related to the Ream naval base."
The U.S. views China's establishment of overseas military bases in the South China Sea as an effort to expand military influence from strategic footholds. It is highly likely that China chose Cambodia as a location for naval bases and logistics facilities within the Indo-Pacific region. There are concerns that as China's military objectives expand, U.S. military operations could be disrupted.
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