Although Cambodia is unlikely to make a sharp turn toward the U.S., the question remains: what might China's reaction be, and what comes next?
U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS-20), an Independence-class vessel, visited Cambodia's Ream Naval Base last week and this episode is interesting because it involves a base built by the People's Republic of China, but the question of what Beijing's reaction to this Washington move might be remains open.
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As Defense News quotes professor of international relations Deth Sok Udom, China is unlikely to publicly and openly express its dissatisfaction with such a move by the U.S.; however, in his opinion, perceiving the U.S. Navy ship’s visit as a sign that Cambodia is strategically moving toward the U.S. would be mistaken.
Political commentator Pravit Rojanaphruk made a rather categorical statement, saying that Cambodia is taking a serious risk by allowing a U.S. Navy ship in, which could have not only diplomatic but also military consequences.
One can expect China to attempt to neutralize U.S. influence in Cambodia and teach it a lesson or two in the coming months; the U.S. could do something similar with Laos, which also has special relations with China, he noted.
In any case, the U.S. Navy ship's visit to a port in Cambodia built by China still indicates a warming of relations between the countries, which is particularly interesting given that China has been pouring investments into this country.
Regarding the port itself, satellite imagery from several years ago revealed that its pier is almost identical to the deep-water pier in the Chinese city of Djibouti, which can accommodate all naval vessels, including the aircraft carrier 003 Fujian.
It is also known that Chinese corvettes are stationed at the Cambodian base on a rotational basis; however, the country has declared it open to any other nations.
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