A US Navy warship arrived in Cambodia on Monday, the first such visit in eight years to a nation that is a close ally of china in Southeast Asia. The Cambodian government has suggested the move reflects an improvement in often strained relations.
The USS Savannah docked at the port of Sihanoukville in the Gulf of Thailand for a five-day visit. The Savannah, classified as a littoral combat ship, carries a crew of 103.
“It’s great to be back, to have the American presence back here after eight years,” the ship’s commander, Daniel A. Sledz, said in brief remarks to reporters. A Cambodian officer gave him a bouquet of flowers and shook hands with a line of his colleagues.
The United States has had difficult relations with Cambodia for many years, criticizing its government for political repression and human rights violations. There is particular concern over its close ties to China, which Washington fears could have exclusive access to a Cambodian naval base in the Gulf of Thailand, not far from where the Savannah docked.
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Recently, there seem to have been moves to mend relations.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said last week that the visit was scheduled following a request from the United States for a stopover and would “strengthen and expand friendly ties and promote bilateral cooperation” between the two nations
Two days earlier, Cambodia’s foreign ministry noted “the positive momentum of bilateral ties and cooperation” and “the revitalization of military-to-military cooperation” between Cambodia and the US.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia in early June, where he held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He also met with Cambodian alumni of US military training programs. Hun Manet himself is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
The US Defense Department said at the time that the Austin discussions concerned “opportunities to strengthen the US-Cambodia bilateral defense relationship in support of regional peace and security” and other issues.
But Washington remains concerned about Cambodia’s improvement Ream Naval Base near Sihanoukville will serve Beijing’s strategic interests in the region.
The US and others suggest the Chinese navy is establishing a permanent base at Ream, which would give it access to the Straits of Malacca, a critical shipping lane between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Controversy over Chinese activity at Ream initially arose in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by US officials would allow China to use the base for 30 years, where could send military personnel, store weapons and docked warships.
The Cambodian government has denied such a deal or any intention to grant China special privileges at the base, although Beijing has funded its expansion.
Washington has said the Ream base could give Beijing a key strategic position in the Gulf of Thailand, near the disputed South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely.
Chinese warships first docked at the 1,190-foot pier in December last year. Two docked at the port of Sihanoukville in May as part of Beijing’s biggest joint military drills with Cambodia.
The Chinese military this year introduced machine gun-equipped “robodogs” in annual joint exercises known as the “Golden Dragon” exercises.
Cambodia’s defense ministry said 27 US Navy ships have visited the nation since 2007, although the USS Savannah’s visit was the first to dock in eight years.
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On Monday, Beijing responded to the US warship’s visit to Sihanoukville by saying “such exchanges and cooperation in security and defense should contribute to promoting regional peace and stability, rather than the opposite.”
In September, Cambodia’s defense ministry said China was giving its navy two warships of the type that had been docked there for months. China is set to deliver two newly built Type 56 corvettes, smaller vessels normally used for coastal patrols, as early as next year after Cambodia asked for China’s support.
Cambodia’s defense ministry said the Savannah port call will include “a working meeting with the commander of the Ream Naval Base” as well as meetings with provincial officials and “a friendly sports competition between the crews of the United States Navy and the Navy of Cambodia.”
Cambodian Navy Captain Mean Savoeun, deputy commander of the Ream Naval Base, was among those who welcomed the Savannah to Sihanoukville. He said he was happy to see the good relationship between Cambodia and the US, especially its navies, and believed the visit will bring closer diplomatic cooperation.
The Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) was commissioned in 2022 and is the sixth ship named in honor of the city of Savannah, according to the US Navy.
“The LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments while being capable of open-ocean tasks,” the Navy says. “The LCS can support forward presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.