China holds military drills at newly expanded Cambodian naval base

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Helicopters accompany the Chinese Jiangwei II naval frigate "Mianyang" during an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army Navy in Qingdao, Shandong province, April 23, 2009. REUTERS/Guang Niu

BEIJING (Reuters) -     China and Cambodia on Sunday held joint military exercises at a newly expanded naval base on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, a facility the United States worries could become a military outpost for the Chinese. 

Conducted one day after the expanded Ream Naval Base was inaugurated, warships from both countries conducted drills including formation manoeuvring, China Central Television (CCTV) reported late on Sunday. 

In the future, such exercises will most likely become more frequent, involving not only naval but also land and air elements, and would help "safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea," China's state-run Global Times reported, citing Chinese military experts. 

Chinese military vessels have been rotating through Ream in the province of Sihanoukville since a Beijing-funded upgrade kicked off in June 2022. 

The upgrade came after Cambodia demolished a U.S.-built facility at the base in Sihanoukville in 2020, having declined Washington's offer to repair it.

Cambodia has repeatedly denied reports of a clandestine deal with China to station its forces at the base, and said that it is open to hosting military vessels from other countries. 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and a delegation of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) attended the inauguration ceremony on Saturday of the expanded base, which now includes a new pier that could host larger vessels, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

 (Reporting by Ryan Woo. Editing by Gerry Doyle)