Residents of this village on the Gulf of Thailand say they have been warned not to talk about the big expansion taking place at the nearby naval base or the two hulking gray Chinese warships docked there, dominating the waterfront. On a wooded hilltop dotted with Buddhist shrines that overlooks the base, security arrived quickly to tell visitors not to take photos.
But the two Chinese navy corvettes, which arrived in December, are hard to miss. Docked at a 1,000-foot pier, they are visible from the village’s main road. Initially, the Cambodian military said the ships were there to help with training.
More than half a year later, they are still there, serving as evidence to many in Washington that China’s military has set up a permanent foothold in a waterway that is set to play a key role in any conflict over Taiwan or the South China Sea.
In full: In full: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/cambodia-denies-hosting-chinese-naval-base-but-two-ships-raise-suspicions/ar-BB1pbhB2
