A US Navy warship arrived in Cambodia on Monday, the first such visit in eight years to a close ally of the China in Southeast Asia. The Cambodian government suggested the stopover reflects an improvement in often tense relations.
The USS Savannah docked at the port of Sihanoukville in the Gulf of Thailand for a five-day visit. The Savannah, classified as a littoral combat ship, carries a crew of 103 people.
“It’s great to be back, to reestablish the American presence here after eight years,” the ship’s commander, Daniel A. Sledz, said in brief remarks to reporters. A Cambodian officer gave him a bouquet of flowers and shook hands with several of his colleagues.
The United States has had a difficult relationship with Cambodia for many years, criticizing its government for political repression and human rights abuses. There are particular concerns about close ties with China, as Washington fears it will gain exclusive access to a Cambodian naval base in the Gulf of Thailand, not far from where the Savannah docked.
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Recently, steps appear to have been taken to repair relations.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said last week that the visit was planned following a U.S. request for a port call and would “strengthen and expand ties of friendship as well as promote bilateral cooperation.” between the two countries.
Two days earlier, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted “a positive dynamic in bilateral relations and cooperation” and “the revitalization of military cooperation” between Cambodia and the United States.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia in early June, where he met with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He also met with Cambodian alumni of U.S. military training programs. Hun Manet himself graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
The US Department of Defense said at the time that the Austin discussions were about “opportunities to strengthen the bilateral defense relationship between the United States and Cambodia in support of regional peace and security” and other questions.
But Washington remains concerned that the modernization of the Cambodian system Ream Naval Base near Sihanoukville will serve Beijing’s strategic interests in the region.
The United States and others suggest that the Chinese navy is establishing a permanent base at Ream, which would give it easier access to the Strait of Malacca, a key shipping route between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Controversy over Chinese activity at Ream initially erupted in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China to use the base for 30 years, where it could post military personnel, store weapons and warships at the dock.
The Cambodian government has denied such a deal or any intention to grant China special privileges at the base, although Beijing has financed its expansion.
Washington has said the Ream base could give Beijing a key strategic position in the Gulf of Thailand, near the disputed South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.
Chinese warships first docked at the 1,190-foot pier in December last year. Two of them docked at the port of Sihanoukville in May as part of the largest joint military exercises between Beijing and Cambodia.
China’s military unveiled machine-gun-equipped “robotdogs” this year during annual joint exercises, known as the “Golden Dragon” drills.
Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said 27 U.S. Navy ships have visited the country since 2007, although the USS Savannah’s visit was the first to dock in eight years.
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On Monday, Beijing responded to the US warship’s visit to Sihanoukville by saying “such security and defense exchanges and collaborations should help promote regional peace and stability, rather than the other way around.”
In September, Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said China was giving its navy two warships of the type it had docked there for months. China is expected to hand over two newly built Type 56 corvettes – smaller vessels typically used for coastal patrols – no earlier than next year, after Cambodia requested support from China.
The Cambodian Defense Ministry said the Savannah’s stopover would include “a working meeting with the commander of the Ream Naval Base,” as well as meetings with provincial officials and “a friendly sports competition between the crews of the United States Navy and Cambodian Navy.
Cambodian Navy Captain Mean Savoeun, deputy commander of Ream Naval Base, was among those who welcomed the Savannah to Sihanoukville. He said he was happy to see the good relations between Cambodia and the United States, especially between their navies, and believed that the visit would strengthen diplomatic cooperation.
The Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) was commissioned in 2022 and is the sixth ship named in honor of the city of Savannah, according to the US Navy.
“The LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments while being capable of performing tasks on the open ocean,” the Navy says. “The LCS can support forward presence, maritime security, maritime control and deterrence.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.