China has announced plans to dispatch two warships to Cambodia and East Timor from the first half of May to mid-June, according to its defense ministry. This move has the potential to further unsettle the United States, which has expressed worries about the expanding Chinese presence at a strategic Cambodian naval base.
The Chinese defense ministry stated on Thursday that China will deploy its largest naval training ship, Qijiguang, along with the giant amphibious warfare ship Jinggangshan, to the two countries for training exercises with local naval cadets. The aim is to bolster mutual trust between the navies of China and the host nations.
The Jinggangshan dock landing ship is equipped to transport helicopters, armored vehicles, boats, landing craft, and nearly 1,000 troops. Although smaller in size, Qijiguang is China’s most technologically advanced military training vessel.
China did not specify the locations where the vessels will be stationed during their time in Cambodia and East Timor.
However, the arrival of Chinese ships could heighten US concerns regarding the presence of Chinese warships at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, which has seen recent expansion supported by China. Cambodia’s decision to allow China to develop Ream, situated at a crucial waterway on the Gulf of Thailand coast in Sihanoukville province, has raised alarms in Washington. There are worries that it could provide Beijing with a new foothold near the contested South China Sea, much of which China claims.
Before a China-funded upgrade commenced in June 2022, Ream had been a site for joint naval training and exercises between the US and Cambodia. Cambodia demolished the US-built facility in October 2020.
Since December, two other Chinese warships, likely corvettes or frigates, have been docked at Ream. Cambodia’s defense ministry asserted on Wednesday that their presence does not signify a permanent deployment of the Chinese military in the country.
China has been strengthening its “ironclad” friendship with Cambodia, evident in the high-level state and military exchanges since last year. In March, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun met with Deputy Commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army Mao Sophan in Beijing, with both sides pledging to deepen military cooperation.
