Photo: Two Chinese corvettes are seen docked at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand in this satellite photo taken by Planet Labs PBC on May 8, 2024.//AP
Cambodia said Thursday that China will soon hand over two warships to improve its defence capabilities, despite US fears about Beijing boosting its military influence in the strategic Gulf of Thailand.
Cambodia is a close ally of Beijing and Washington has long harboured concerns about the Chinese-funded renovation of the kingdom's Ream naval base.
Maly Socheata, a spokeswoman for the Cambodian defence ministry, told AFP that China would send the two new so-called Type 056C corvettes next year, at the earliest.
She said the vessels are being built specially for Cambodia, and "are expected to be completed and given to Cambodia in 2025 or later."
"The only goal is to strengthen the capacity and ability of Cambodia to protect and maintain peace, stability, security as well as for supporting search and rescue operations and other humanitarian activities at sea," Socheata added.
China has been funding the renovation of the Ream naval base, originally built partly using US funds.
But Washington says the base could give Beijing a key strategic position on the Gulf of Thailand near the disputed South China Sea, which China largely claims.
Last year, Cambodian officials denied a new 363-metre (1,190-foot) pier at Ream was intended to berth Chinese aircraft carriers.
Socheata said the "first phase" of expansion of the Ream base had been completed and the second phase of work was underway and would be finished soon.
She denied that the Ream Naval Base would be used by a foreign military, saying Cambodia would not allow any foreign military set its base in the country.
