Cambodia has pledged to spend an additional $40 million on Chinese weapons to modernise its military, in a move that is likely to compound US fears about Phnom Penh’s growing proximity to
Beijing as
China spreads it influence across Southeast Asia. Cambodia’s military ties with ally China have been under particular scrutiny over reports that a secret deal has been signed to allow Chinese forces to use a Cambodian naval base to dock warships and store weapons. The Wall Street Journal last week alleged the existence of a draft deal allowing China to access Ream base near Sihanoukville, which would give Beijing a strategic advantage in the Gulf of
Thailand and ready access to the disputed South China Sea. Cambodia has denied the reports and Hun Sen, the prime minister, called the news “slander.” However, Cambodia, which has faced sharp criticism from Western nations over its shrinking political freedoms has grown increasingly closer to China in recent years, with ties boosted by billions of Chinese-funded soft loans, and investment in Cambodian infrastructure projects. On Monday, the prime minister revealed during a trip to a Chinese-financed stadium in Phnom Penh that he had ordered the purchase of “tens of thousands of additional weapons," from Beijing. He did not disclose what the armory was but said it was already being shipped. Marise Payne, the
Australian foreign minister, said the US wishes to expand its military presence in Australia Credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images "I want to strengthen the army," Hun Sen said in a speech broadcast live on Facebook. He said $40 million had been spent this year on top of a total amount of $290 million in previous arms deals with China, reported Reuters. The
United States and its allies have been closely eyeing China’s moves in Southeast Asia and across the Pacific region, prompting
Washington to expand its own military presence in the region. The US navy is planning to build additional military infrastructure in northern Australia once it gets the green light on a $211.5 million budget from
Congress, Marise Payne, the Australian foreign minister, said on Tuesday. Ms Payne did not reveal what infrastructure was planned but Australian media reported earlier this month that Washington intended to construct a new port facility near Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory. More than 2,000 US Marines already rotate through the city under a deal that began under President
Barack Obama to enhance the US defence relationship with Australia and to “pivot to the Pacific” by bolstering military resources there. The location of the port would likely be seen as a counterbalance to Chinese development near Darwin after China’s Landbridge Group secured a 99-year lease over its port in 2015. The US embassy in Canberra declined to comment about the developments.