US warship makes intriguing visit to Cambodia’s Ream Maritime base

The USS Savannah — a Freedom-class littoral battle transport — will visit Ream Maritime Base in Cambodia. It will dock there alongside 103 group individuals on Monday for a five-day visit. This will incorporate gatherings with the base leader and common authorities, Cambodia’s Service of Public Safeguard reported on Friday.

The US warship makes an intriguing visit to Cambodia’s Ream Maritime base. The US will send a warship to visit a maritime base in Cambodia, interestingly. This is because the Southeast Asian country was established in 2019. This arrangement would permit China to lay out a long-lasting traction there.

The arrival of this boat will strengthen and expand the fellowship. It will also advance reciprocal collaboration, the service said in an explanation. It is describing the visit as an “achievement” in the improvement of US-Cambodia ties.

The move flags an endeavor by Washington to modify its relationship with Cambodia. This followed doubts about the arrangement Beijing reportedly made quite a while back. It gave the Chinese military exclusive access to part of the naval base in the Bay of Thailand. The US has said Ream will ultimately turn into China’s most memorable station in the Indo-Pacific region.

Cambodian specialists have repeatedly rejected that such an arrangement exists. They state that an unfamiliar army installation on their domain would disregard their public sway. Beijing has likewise denied plans for a Chinese army installation in the Southeast Asian country. The US Consulate in Cambodia didn’t immediately answer a messaged demand for input on the impending visit.

A new report by the Sydney-based Lowy Organization explained that China is unlikely to assume command over the maritime base. It has restricted key worth in Beijing’s push to extend power in the South China Sea. Geographic limits and homegrown political imperatives in Cambodia are likewise barriers to such a result.

China has continued to support redevelopment at the base. They sent warships there on an uncommon visit last year. This has built up the US concerns. Beijing has stated that remodels at Ream were “pointed toward reinforcing the Cambodian naval force’s capacity.” The goal is to shield oceanic regional trustworthiness and combat sea crimes.

Why the U.S. Is Worried About Chinese Presence at Ream

1. Strategic Location
   Ream is on the Gulf of Thailand, near the entrance to the South China Sea. That location provides China with potential closer access to key maritime routes. It enables quicker deployment, resupply, or staging of naval assets in Southeast Asia.
2. Possibility of Dual-Use Infrastructure
   The upgrades being funded by China include a new pier and dry dock. There are also workshops, warehouses, and living quarters. Additionally, administrative buildings are included, etc. Such infrastructure could serve civilian or humanitarian purposes — but also can enable military logistics, maintenance, or even surveillance.
3. Lack of Transparency
   U.S. officials and think tanks (e.g. CSIS/AMTI) have flagged that Cambodia has not been fully transparent about the scope, intent, or future operational plans of the Ream base expansion. Questions include whether Chinese warships might have privileged or exclusive access, and whether the facility could host sensitive technology (radar, sensors, etc.).
4. Signs of Prolonged or Rotational Chinese Naval Presence
   Satellite imagery reveals multiple dockings of Chinese corvettes at the new pier. Reports show they dock there several times. These dockings are sometimes for extended periods, lasting multiple months. The deployment is officially “for training.” However, the fact that warships stay for months raises concerns. There are worries about whether the access is purely temporary.
5. Erosion of U.S. Influence / Regional Balance
   The U.S. views Cambodia’s shift toward deeper military cooperation with China (and cancellation or scaling down of prior U.S.–Cambodia exercises) as part of Beijing’s broader strategy to expand its influence in Southeast Asia. If Ream becomes a de facto Chinese outpost, American strategic advantages could be eroded. This shift might push regional equilibria in China’s favor.
6. Potential Implications for Regional Security
   From a U.S. perspective, if Chinese naval assets can use or access Ream more freely, that increases their ability to project power or conduct operations more rapidly in contested maritime spaces (e.g., South China Sea, Malaysia’s EEZ, Indonesia’s Natuna Sea). Even if Ream isn’t deep enough for large vessels, its proximity still offers strategic logistical advantages.

In short, the U.S. views Chinese involvement in upgrading and using the Ream naval base as a potential lever. This could increase Chinese naval presence in Southeast Asia. This could alter regional strategic balances and reduce transparency around foreign military access. It could also limit U.S./allied maneuverability in maritime routes.