Cambodia ‘swallowed’ by China as Ream base expands

SIHANOUKVILLE: “This area’s been swallowed up by China. That, too,” a shopkeeper said while pointing toward Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville in late July.

The Cambodian city, once a sleepy beach getaway, has transformed into a bustling hub for casinos and hotels in recent years as Prime Minister Hun Sen rolls out the red carpet for Chinese investment. But China’s growing clout there – in particular, Beijing’s decision to fund the expansion of the Ream base – has caused alarm both in the US and among the city’s locals.

A Cambodian soldier stopped this reporter’s car as it approached the base. A palpable tension gripped Ream, unlike during previous trips there. “Few residents get close to the base now,” a local journalist said, describing an increase in traffic instead by Chinese individuals believed to be involved in construction at Ream. Large trucks loaded to the brim with dirt queued up near the base, though they could not be tied immediately to the expansion.

Cambodia announced the Chinese-backed expansion of Ream in early June. A satellite photo from early July analysed by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies showed what appeared to be a new pier at the site.

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