Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as it is depicted in its so-called nine-dash column, but it has never fully defined what it means. This statement contradicts the sea says of Malaysia, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries.
It would be impossible for China to work from Ream from a defense and military standpoint, according to Dr. Abdul Rahman of the Lowy Institute, from a position of authority in regional waters like the South China Sea or the Strait of Malacca.
” China has already built a number of military installations in the South China Sea, the majority of which were constructed using synthetic territories. These foundations, serving as local launchpads, may play a far more important role than the Ream marine base”, he said.
” Furthermore, the Ream naval base is just 30 miles from a grouping of Taiwanese military services. China conducting military operations there would not make sense because it could endanger sensitive information or make the Asian able to obstruct or prevent its ships.
According to Dr. Abuza from the National War College, China’s wider goal in using the bottom in Ream is to stop the formation of a unified local entrance against its regional states in the South China Sea.
” China’s presence that allows it to focus on Vietnam, which has overlapping states with Beijing in the contested waters”, he explained. ” Moreover, it reinforces China’s supremacy over Cambodia, making the country extremely reliant on Beijing- not just economically, but physically as well”.
China is Cambodia’s largest bilateral donation, merchant, trader, and trading partner, according to an ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute working papers published in March 2023.
With a diplomatic free trade agreement that became effective at the beginning of 2022, China strengthened its place as one of Cambodia’s essential trading partners. The pact eliminates tariffs on 97 % of Cambodian exports to China and 97 % of Chinese exports to China.
Over the past five decades, Cambodia’s exports to China had grown at an annual charge of 10.2 per share, rising from US$ 1 billion in 2017 to US$ 1.63 billion in 2022, according to state data.
China has also greatly invested in Cambodia’s system, including airports, streets, and private improvements such as hotels and casinos.
Data strong Seasia Stats reports that Cambodia is the fourth-largest victim of Foreign aid in Southeast Asia, receiving US$ 17.7 billion by 2024, behind Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos. This includes monetary assistance, financial projects, and building initiatives.
RAISING THE REGIONAL TEMPERATURE?
Experts are divided on whether growing defense ties between China and Cambodia may cause conflicts in the area. Some believe so- mainly with Vietnam, and to a lesser degree, Thailand.
Dr. Abdul Rahman noted that given the ongoing conflicts in the South China Sea, Hanoi may be particularly concerned that China is using Cambodia as a proper tool to impose pressure on its southwestern border.
” Taiwanese leaders view the construction of air defense services at Ream as a significant security threat, especially if it is managed by China,” Ream authorities said. Any applied air surveillance radar could help Chinese military personnel follow Asian aircraft as they travel through southern Vietnam, according to Dr. Abdul Rahman.
China could finally pose a danger to Vietnam from both the north and the south, combined with the prospect of Chinese naval vessels operating from Ream.