China will be able to place armed forces at a Cambodian naval base under a secret agreement the two nations have reached, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, although Cambodian officials denied such a deal had been struck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agreement, reached this spring but not made public, gives China exclusive access to part of Cambodia\u2019s Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand, the Journal reported, citing US and allied officials familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such an arrangement would give China an enhanced ability to assert contested territorial claims and economic interests in the South China Sea, challenging US allies in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the worst-ever made up news against Cambodia,\u201d Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told the pro-government news site Fresh News on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo such thing could happen because hosting foreign military bases is against the Cambodian constitution,\u201d he said.Cambodian defense ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told Reuters the report was \u201cmade up and baseless\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China, Hun Sen\u2019s strongest regional ally, has poured billions of dollars in development assistance and loans into Cambodia through bilateral frameworks and China\u2019s Belt and Road initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initiative, unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to bolster a sprawling network of land and sea links with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.It has attracted a flood of Chinese commercial ventures in Cambodia, including casinos and special economic zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US Defense Department suggested earlier this month China may be attempting to gain a military foothold in Cambodia in a letter to Cambodia asking why the nation had turned down an offer to repair a naval base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The State Department urged Cambodia in a statement to reject such an arrangement, saying the nation had a \u201cconstitutional commitment to its people to pursue an independent foreign policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are concerned that any steps by the Cambodian government to invite a foreign military presence in Cambodia would threaten the coherence and centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in coordinating regional developments, and disturb peace and stability in Southeast Asia,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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