{"id":30746,"date":"2021-06-13T19:13:21","date_gmt":"2021-06-13T19:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/06\/13\/cambodia-limits-us-diplomats-scrutiny-of-controversial-naval-base\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:32:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:32:41","slug":"cambodia-limits-us-diplomats-scrutiny-of-controversial-naval-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/06\/13\/cambodia-limits-us-diplomats-scrutiny-of-controversial-naval-base\/","title":{"rendered":"Cambodia limits US diplomat\u2019s scrutiny of controversial naval base"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PHNOM PENH, Cambodia \u2014 Efforts by Cambodia to assuage U.S. concerns about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/10\/07\/us-state-department-expresses-concern-over-china-link-to-cambodian-naval-base\/\" target=\"_blank\">China\u2019s right to use a naval base on the Gulf of Thailand <\/a>suffered a setback Friday when an American diplomat invited to inspect it was allowed only limited access, according to the U.S. Embassy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The embassy said Defense Attach\u00e9 Col. Marcus M. Ferrara traveled to the Ream Naval Base in coordination with Cambodian authorities, but was denied full access to the facility, leading him to cut short his visit and ask for it to be rescheduled without any limits to what he could see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said Cambodia fulfilled its commitment to allow a visit as requested, and if U.S. officials were not satisfied, they could request another visit as long as it did not involve spying or violating Cambodian sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/10\/07\/us-state-department-expresses-concern-over-china-link-to-cambodian-naval-base\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20280199208970.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US State Department expresses concern over China link to Cambodian naval base<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">An agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, it was reported in the media. But Cambodia&#039;s prime minister says his country&#039;s constitution doesn&#039;t allow foreign military bases.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials of Cambodia\u2019s Defense Ministry hit back at the embassy\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey are pretending. They should know that the kingdom has sovereignty and laws, but they have their hidden agendas for geopolitical gains,\u201d Gen. Nem Sowath, special adviser to Defense Minister Tea Banh, was quoted as saying by Fresh News, a website close to the government. \u201cWhat the embassy wrote has violated the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fresh News quoted Lt. Gen. Suon Samnang, the deputy director of the Defense Ministry\u2019s foreign affairs department who accompanied Ferrara, as saying that after he was taken to several sites, \u201cHe tried to search for other places that were not necessary and not in their requests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed in a June 1 meeting with visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to allow the embassy\u2019s defense attach\u00e9 to make regular visits to the base, the embassy said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An earlier State Department statement about Sherman\u2019s visit said she expressed \u201cserious concerns\u201d about China\u2019s military presence and construction of facilities at the base and sought clarification of why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/10\/05\/cambodia-denies-that-demolition-of-us-funded-facility-is-to-make-way-for-chinese-naval-base-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\">two U.S.-funded buildings there had been demolished <\/a>without notification or explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sherman said a Chinese military base in Cambodia \u201cwould undermine its sovereignty, threaten regional security, and negatively impact U.S.-Cambodia relations,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/10\/05\/cambodia-denies-that-demolition-of-us-funded-facility-is-to-make-way-for-chinese-naval-base-plans\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"177\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1641584.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Cambodia denies that demolition of US-funded facility is to make way for Chinese naval base plans<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A Cambodian committee for maritime security stated that plans to relocate its Tactical Command Headquarters began in late 2017.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hun Sen and other Cambodian officials have consistently maintained that China has been given no special privileges at the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sherman later told journalists she had candid conversations with Hun Sen \u201cabout the direction the country is headed,\u201d including China\u2019s presence at Ream and Cambodia\u2019s human rights and \u201canti-democratic record.\u201d Hun Sen has been in power since 1985 and has a history of repression that in the past few years has focused on intimidation through the legal system of his critics and political opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Controversy over the Ream Naval Base sprang up two years ago when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of a reputed agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China is Cambodia\u2019s biggest investor and closest political partner. Beijing\u2019s support allows Cambodia to disregard Western concerns about its poor record in human and political rights, and in turn Cambodia generally supports Beijing\u2019s geopolitical positions on issues such as its territorial claims in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/09\/02\/what-war-with-china-could-look-like\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635774999538290744-mar-2015-dawn-blitz-5jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">What war with China could look like<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A host of scenarios could push China and the United States into some kind of conflict.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Basing rights in Cambodia would extend Beijing\u2019s strategic military profile considerably and tilt the regional balance of power, putting pressure on countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations whose security concerns historically been aligned more closely with the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRoutine and frequent visits by U.S. and other foreign military attach\u00e9s to Ream Naval Base can be an important step towards greater transparency and mutual trust,\u201d the U.S. Embassy statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said his country has shown transparency and accountability by responding to the U.S. request for a visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A State Department officials expressed \u201cserious concerns\u201d about China\u2019s military presence and construction of facilities at the base and sought clarification of why two U.S.-funded buildings there had been demolished without notification or explanation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":62044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":62,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3285],"class_list":["post-30746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"JZXVQV7EVNAMVN6INUIZPK6W2A","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/06\/13\/cambodia-limits-us-diplomats-scrutiny-of-controversial-naval-base\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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expressed \u201cserious concerns\u201d about China\u2019s military presence and construction of facilities at the base and sought clarification of why two U.S.-funded buildings there had been demolished without notification or explanation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/06\/13\/cambodia-limits-us-diplomats-scrutiny-of-controversial-naval-base\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-13T19:13:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:32:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sopheng Cheang, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sopheng Cheang, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. 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