Chinese naval vessels have become the first ships to dock at a new pier at a Cambodian naval base that the United States and some international security experts say is destined to serve as a strategic outpost for Beijing’s navy.
  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    2·
    10 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    News of at least two Chinese ships docking at the Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand came out indirectly, through a Facebook post on Sunday by Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha.

    Satellite photos taken Sunday by Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press show what appear to be two Chinese warships docked at the base.

    Basing rights in Cambodia would extend Beijing’s strategic military profile considerably, and tilt the regional balance of power in a way that would pressure adjacent Southeast Asian countries whose security concerns traditionally have been aligned more closely with the United States.

    “The U.S. and countries in the region have expressed concern about the lack of transparency on the intent, nature, and scope of this project as well as the role the PRC (Chinese) military is playing in its construction and in post-construction use of the facility,” said an embassy statement sent to the AP.

    Prime Minister Hun Manet, who succeeded his father Hun Sen in the leadership position earlier this year, said in a post Monday on the Telegram messaging platform that he and China’s visiting official He discussed the continuation of military cooperation through agreements between their respective defense ministries on human resource training and demining operations.

    Hun Manet’s first official trip abroad after becoming prime minister was to Beijing, reflecting his country’s warm relations with China.

    The original article contains 722 words, the summary contains 226 words. Saved 69%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!