Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii – A senior U.S. Indo-Pacific Command officer August 15 confirmed Cambodia and China are proceeding on a base for China’s navy in the Southeast Asian country’s Preah Sihanouk province.
Army Brigadier General Joel B. Vowell said construction would begin next year at Ream Naval Base, confirming to a group of regional journalists here that Cambodia will grant China access to the deep coastal waters on the Gulf of Thailand.
“We have information that tells us that there will be some development by the People’s Republic of China to facilitate a naval base at Ream,” said Vowell, the command’s deputy director for strategic planning and policy.
