Neang Neak ear cuff inspired by traditional designs. SUPPLIED
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday dismissed a Wall Street Journal report that Cambodia had signed a secret agreement allowing the Chinese military to use the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base as “fabricated news”.
Minister of National Defence Tea Banh also rejected the claims, calling the allegations “fake”.
“No such thing has happened because hosting a foreign military base is against the Cambodian Constitution. Why would Cambodia need to have a Chinese military presence in its territory?
“We have never discussed anything like this with China’s leaders. We have especially not signed any such agreement. It is time to stop using fabricated news about the presence of the Chinese military in Cambodia against us,” Hun Sen told Fresh News.
The Wall Street Journal article was published after the US House of Representatives last week approved the Cambodia Democracy Act of 2019.
If signed off by US President Donald Trump, the bill would allow sanctions to be taken against high-ranking Cambodian officials that the US sees as responsible for undermining democracy and violating human rights in the Kingdom.
On Monday, Banh said he was not surprised at the renewed allegations of a Chinese naval base in Cambodia, calling them fake.
“This is a pretext to make Cambodia look bad and then be able to impose sanctions. This is the truth and I am not exaggerating. Please everyone monitor [what happens next],” he said.
The Wall Street Journal published a report on Sunday based on US officials saying Cambodia and China had signed a secret agreement allowing the Chinese military to use Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base as Beijing pushes ahead with a plan to have its military stationed around the world.
The report said the agreement was secretly signed in spring and gives China an exclusive right to use the Ream base located in the Gulf of Thailand, not far from a large airport under construction by a Chinese company.
US embassy in Cambodia spokesperson Emily Zeeberg told The Post on Monday that the embassy is monitoring media reports of a secret agreement detailing a military alliance between China and Cambodia.
“We are concerned that any steps by the Cambodian government to invite a foreign military presence in Cambodia would threaten the coherence and centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations [Asean] in coordinating regional developments and disturb peace and stability in Southeast Asia.
“We urge Cambodia’s leadership to honour its constitutional commitment to its people to pursue an independent foreign policy, and to protect Cambodia’s independence and sovereignty for future generations,” Zeeberg told The Post.
She did not confirm if Micheal Newbill, the charge d’affaires of the US embassy in Cambodia, had visited a port being built in Koh Kong. She also declined to comment on whether he had assessed the port and if it was militarised.
It was put to her that the Wall Street Journal and Reuters had reported that the source of the story were US officials, but she did not comment on the reliability of the sources.
Political analyst Lao Mong Hay said the government should build stronger ties with the US to stave off accusations of being too close to China.
“The government should show transparency regarding Cambodian neutrality by furthering ties in a balanced manner with [other] countries, especially superpowers China and the US. Military relations should be built with the US, allowing it to provide assistance in building the Ream base.
“Otherwise the suspicion remains of a relationship with China in which China’s assistance has conditions attached for the Kingdom to not have relations with the US. This could see Cambodia lose its sovereignty and this is not good for the Kingdom.”
However, Kin Phea, the director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said he was sceptical of the Wall Street Journal report.
“In the Middle East fake news has been used to deceive the public and international community, allowing action to be taken to topple a regional leader.
“The situation is being stirred up to make the international community suspicious of Cambodia and to damage its relations with other countries. In short, it is an attempt to tarnish Cambodia’s reputation.”
