Maritime Matters
Concerns over Chinese Naval Base in Cambodia Simmer
24 Jul, 2019 · 5604
Dr Vijay Sakhuja calls for a more measured and balanced assessment of the concerns over the Koh Kong and Dara Sakor projects in Cambodia, and their possible military use by China.
Cambodia’s Prime
Minister, Hun Sen’s, repeated assertion that his country’s constitution has no
provision for accommodating foreign military bases on its soil and that there
were no plans to bring about any amendments to the constitution to facilitate
such projects has not cut ice with the US. Instead, a media blitzkrieg has been unleashed and the Wall Street
Journal (WSJ) published an article about a secret agreement between Cambodia and
China under which the latter would have access
to the Cambodian naval and
military facility at the Ream Naval Base for 30
years and the lease would be renewed automatically every ten years. Furthermore,
the WSJ article argues that the China-backed Dara Sakor project, about
40 miles from Ream, is part of Beijing’s plans to establish a foothold in
Southeast Asia to “enforce territorial claims and
economic interests in the South China Sea.” The Chinese built civil and
military facilities in Cambodia would complicate matters for the US military should
it decide to support Taiwan in any crisis as “some American forces would arrive
via the Strait of Malacca or the outer reaches of the South China Sea,” the
article adds.
Meanwhile, Prime Minter Hun Sen has dismissed WSJ’s insinuation, labeling
the report as “the worst distorted news,” and a Cambodian
official termed the reportage as ‘Fake News’. Unlike Cambodia, the Spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Geng Shuang, was not very specific
in his response,
and stated that the issue should not be “over interpreted.” Earlier in June,
during the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore, China’s Defense Minister, Gen Wei
Fenghe, had denied
that Beijing was setting up a military presence in Cambodia, and had dismissed
the issue.
Speculations regarding Chinese interest
in accessing or building military related infrastructure in Cambodia have been
around in the US and Asian strategic circles for quite some time. But the
current suspicions began in June 2018 after Cambodia refused the US’s offer to restore
a training facility and boat depot at the Ream Naval Base built by them, fueling
rumors that Cambodia was under pressure from China, which wanted access to the
facility for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Based on internal assessments relevant to this matter, US Vice President,
Mike Pence, dispatched a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen wherein the former expressed
concerns over a possible Chinese naval base in Cambodia.
If one is to go by the
aerial photographs, graphics, and satellite imageries shared in the WSJ article and other reports relating
to development projects, it is possible to conclude that China has swamped
Cambodia and massive infrastructure is being developed in and around Sihanoukville,
Koh Kong, including at Dara Sakor.
The Koh
Kong port development project is spread over 45,000 hectares and can emerge as the Mecca of tourism in the future. In 2008, the Cambodian government had leased
this prime real estate to the Union Development Group (UDG), a private property
developer based in Tianjin, China, on a 99-year lease at a rent of “just US$1
million per year.” The property would be returned to Cambodia in 2108 after the
lease expires. The project involves building casinos, golf courses and luxury
resorts for leisure and entertainment, and the 20-kilometer long coastline
would serve as a deep water port to service cruise liners that would arrive
with Chinese tourists. The Koh Kong port is also linked to Dara Sakor airport, which is currently being constructed by the UDG. This
airport would have a 3,400-meter long runway—longer than that of the international
airport at Phnom Penh, and may possess some features suggesting that it could
stage military aircraft too.
There are a number of Chinese
bankrolled entertainment
destinations and infrastructure projects in Cambodia, including in Phnom Penh. In
particular, Sihanoukville is the leading commercial hub and Chinese entities own
90 per cent of the businesses, ranging from hotels, casinos, restaurants and massage
parlours. Roads and highways are under construction across the country with
Chinese financial assistance, and dams are coming up on the Mekong River. To be
fair, it merits acknowledgement that Cambodia is a maritime state
and engages in international commerce through the Sihanoukville
Autonomous Port on the Gulf of Siam. It
is the only major deep sea port in the country and the Port of Phnom Penh on the Mekong River is a
small container hub. The third port—Koh Kong—which is currently in the eye of
the storm, would only help it to develop
economically.
Finally, it is not extraordinary for
countries to develop and build maritime and aviation infrastructure which are used
for commercial as well as military purposes. Additionally, it is not unusual to
see both commercial vessels and warships berthed in the same port, but they are
generally separated by physical barricades or boundary walls. Likewise, there
are several airports across the globe that service civil aviation requirements as
well as for the militaries. Thus, it is important to tone down exaggerated
geostrategic concerns over Koh Kong and Dara Sakor and their possible military
use.
Dr Vijay Sakhuja is a former director of the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi.