ANI
23 Jan 2022, 21:03 GMT+10
Phnom Penh [Cambodia], January 23 (ANI): China's pursuit of a Cambodian naval base causes geopolitical tension as Beijing has started to dredge in the waters surrounding Cambodia's Ream naval base.
Work to deepen the bay will mark a milestone in upgrades to the site, where the shallow waters can currently only accommodate small patrol vessels, according to Nikkei Asia.
Further, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)'s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative on Saturday released a January 16 satellite image showing two clamshell dredgers just off the coast of Ream accompanied by barges for collecting dredged sand.
The vessels were also visible in a photo uploaded to Facebook by the Cambodian Minister of National Defense Tea Banh, who visited the site on the Gulf of Thailand on January 18 this year.
China is funding upgrades at Ream naval base including an expansion of the port and the development of a ship repair facility.
On the other hand, US has raised concerns that China is planning to host military assets at the base.
In 2019, the US had seen a draft agreement between Cambodia and China that allowed Beijing to use Ream for 30 years, as reported by Wall Street Journal.
Earlier, in June last year, US senior diplomat Wendy Sherman visited Phnom Penh and told Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that Washington had "serious concerns" about China's "military presence" at the site.
Onshore, work has continued on the expansion, with several locations within the main administrative center in the southwest of the site having been cleared.
Satellite images also show clearing for roads and a possible fence near a Vietnam-funded hospital and a small building and several concrete lots have also appeared along the coast.
Taken together, the scale of recent demolition and land clearing, and especially the new dredging activity, indicates that the base is being prepared for significant infrastructure upgrades, CSIS report mentions. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of Central Asia Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Central Asia Times.
More InformationGENEVA, Switzerland: The World Health Organization (WHO) has received a proposal by 13 member states requesting that Taiwan be allowed ...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that the bloc would ensure Ukraine that it has ...
Former U.S. President George W. Bush has made an embarrassing mistake in criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin over his decision ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. State Department has announced the launch of a new program to capture and analyze evidence of ...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: A new poll released this week indicated that Indonesian President Joko Widodo's approval rating has hit a six-year ...
EAST JAVA, Indonesia: A tourist bus crashed into a billboard on a highway on Indonesia's main island of Java this ...
GUWAHATI, India, As India's northeastern state of Assam grapples with heavy floods brought on by pre-monsoon rains, over 500,000 people ...
KAREN STATE, Myanmar - The Karen National Union (KNU) confirmed on Thursday that it had taken control of an army ...
WASHINGTON, USA - Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York this ...
GENEVA, Switzerland: The World Health Organization (WHO) has received a proposal by 13 member states requesting that Taiwan be allowed ...
KATHMANDU, Nepal - According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Nepal has reported its first cases of African ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, a veteran journalist, and columnist, has died. He was 87 years old. According to ...