WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cambodia said on Tuesday the U.S. Navy would be welcome to visit its Ream Naval Base, which the Pentagon is concerned will become a Chinese outpost.
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol told a think tank event in Washington that any country's military could call at the port once the naval base is completed.
"The Ream Naval Base is not for the Chinese. The Chinese provided us with the assistance to expand the Ream Naval Base for our own national defense, not to be used by the Chinese or any military against another country," Sun told the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"When this naval base is completed, any navy can call on that port, as long as it's for humanitarian and disaster recovery, or joint military exercise," he said.
However, he advised the U.S. Navy to bring small ships on any visit, "because the water is shallow. You might get stuck there," he said, when referring to the potential for a U.S. Navy port call.
Ties between the U.S. and Cambodia have been strained in recent years, with Washington vocal over the government's dismantling of the political opposition and concerned about China's growing influence.
Chinese warships, likely corvettes or frigates, have been rotating through Ream since December to help train the Cambodian navy. Washington has pressed Cambodia to uphold its constitution and prevent any foreign country from having exclusive access to Ream or other territory.
Before a China-funded Ream base upgrade began in June 2022, it had been the site of some joint naval training and exercises between the U.S. and Cambodia. Cambodia demolished the U.S.-built facility in October 2020.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Cambodia's leadership in June and discussed resuming military training exchanges, as well de-mining and unexploded ordnance clearance.
(Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
