Location is the most critical factor in determining whether a naval base is useful for any country to project power. Having bases near strategic maritime routes, such as the South China Sea and the Red Sea, is ideal.
What about the Cambodian Ream Naval Base?
This has been a controversial site ever since The Wall Street Journal reported in July 2019 that Phnom Penh signed a secret agreement allowing Beijing exclusive use of the base. This suspicion was further fuelled when Cambodia demolished US-built facilities in Ream in 2020 to make way for Chinese contractors to commence construction works for an upgrade.
