China and Cambodia kicked off annual military drills Thursday with a stated goal to strengthen cooperation and trust between the countries’ forces.
But many countries, including the United States, are worried about Beijing’s growing influence in Cambodia.
The 15-day military exercises, called “Golden Dragon,” reportedly include 1,315 military personnel from Cambodia and 760 from China, along with 11 Cambodian ships and three Chinese ships.
The ground and sea maneuvers began at a Cambodian military base northwest of Phnom Penh.
The exercise aims to train forces to fight terrorism and provide humanitarian relief in both countries, Cambodian army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Thong Solimo said.
Cambodian General Vong Pisen thanked China for financing new military equipment and assisting upgrades to military facilities like the Ream Naval Base, on the coast in southwestern Cambodia.
The United States and international security analysts have expressed concern about China’s involvement in the base, warning the spot could become a strategic outpost for Beijing’s navy.
Two Chinese warships have been docked at a new pier of the naval base since December. The corvettes are set to participate in the Golden Dragon drills, including maritime maneuvers near the Ream Naval Base.
But Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said earlier this month that the five-month-long presence of the ships does not indicate the permanent deployment of Chinese forces in the country.
“We have been clear that Cambodia is not allowing any foreign forces to be deployed on its territory,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Gen. Chhum Socheat told the Associated Press. “That won’t happen; that point is in our Constitution, and we are fully following it.”
China is Cambodia’s most important economic and political partner. The southeast Asian country has received billions of dollars in investments from China. Cambodia owes more than 40% of its $10 billion in foreign debt to China.
The countries have held their annual Golden Dragon drills together since 2016. Cambodia’s government called off similar military exercises with the U.S., called Angkor Sentinel, in January 2017.
Some material in this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
