Satellite images show Chinese naval base in Cambodia nearly done – Taiwan News Feedzy

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Newly released satellite images indicate that a Chinese naval base in Cambodia is nearing completion and will include the capacity to berth aircraft carriers.

The Financial Times on Tuesday (July 25) reported that BlackSky, an American commercial imaging company, continues to monitor China’s construction of naval facilities at the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia. The latest images show that a newly constructed pier is almost complete, and its size and design are similar to those used by China’s navy at its Djibouti base.

The U.S. Department of Defense believes that China is building facilities in Cambodia to improve its naval projection capabilities. However, China and Cambodia have denied that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will have access to Ream Naval Base.

Over the past 10 years, China has built islands in the South China Sea and established military bases on islands and reefs. However, a former official said a Chinese base in Cambodia would complicate the U.S. military response in the event of a conflict because “we would be bombing Cambodian territory.”

According to BlackSky, work started on the Chinese military station in August 2021 and the first evidence of work on the pier surfaced in July 2022. As can be seen in a series of photos taken between Dec. 22, 2022 and June 27, 2023, work seemed to accelerate in the past few months.

Harrison Pretat, associate director and associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, was cited by the newspaper as saying that the pier in Cambodia and the pier at China’s naval base in Djibouti are similar in construction, with a 335-meter section suitable for Chinese carriers. Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told BlackSky that both piers can handle all vessels in China’s navy, including the Type 300 Fujian aircraft carrier, which is 300 meters.