Cambodia and China held their largest joint military exercises on Wednesday ( May 14), which included advanced Taiwanese military equipment like vessels, artillery, and machine war dogs.
Washington has expressed concern that Beijing is using a Thai naval base that it renovated on the Gulf of Thailand to increase its influence in the region. It has long been a steadfast ally of China, and it has received billions of dollars in assets.
The training will last until May 28 and involve nearly 900 Chinese military staff and more than 1,300 Cambodian soldiers, according to a statement from the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RCAF ).
According to the speech, the drills will have cutting-edge Chinese military equipment, including armored vehicles, helicopters, warships, drones for surveillance, and machine battle dogs.
The annual activities were intended to “promote closer ties and participation” between the two armies, according to the statement.
According to RCAF official Thong Solimo,” the activities are bigger than last year in terms of both personnel and equipment.”
He claimed that a big Chinese naval ship, the Changbai Shan, docked on Monday at Cambodia’s newly renovated Ream Naval Center with military equipment for the training.