Khmer Times | A spokesman of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has blasted those who spread the rumour about a Chinese naval base in Preah Sihanouk province, accusing them of attempting to “ruin” the iron-clad relation between Cambodia and China.
However, he added that such an allegation will not harm ties between the two allies.
The rumour dates back to July 2019 when the Wall Street Journal reported that US officials had seen a secret agreement that allowed the Chinese People’s Liberation Front (PLA) navy exclusive access to about one-third of the Ream Naval Base for up to 30 years.
It reported that if this was true, the access, which violates both the Cambodian Constitution and the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, gives the Chinese government a new southern flank on the disputed South China Sea.
Since then, many Western entities, including institutions and media outlets, have been digging into the issues, as they are trying to verify hundreds of satellite images.
The latest example was in February at a conference in London where BlackSky’s CEO Brian O’Toole stunned audiences with geospatial intelligence revealing the progression of “China’s secret naval base project” in Ream, Cambodia.
Satellite imagery from BlackSky shows the pier extending into waters deep enough to service aircraft carriers, with columns deployed to a length sufficient to moor these vessels.
However, Prime Minister Hun Sen as well as the Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry have always dismissed the claim about the existence of a foreign military base in the Kingdom.
Speaking to Khmer Times on Friday during his official visit to Cambodia, Hu Zhaoming, Spokesperson and Director-General of Bureau of Public Information and Communication of the International Department of CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), also dismissed the rumour on behalf of Beijing, explaining that it is simply a trick to pressure Cambodia to shrink its relationship with China.
“Some countries want to learn from Cambodia on how it has built such a great relationship with China while some others want to ruin such an excellent, such a great friendship between the two countries,” Zhaoming said. “They are pressuring Cambodia to go on their side while Cambodia is, like China, a sovereign state that make independent decisions.”
Ironically, the country which is working the hardest to spread the rumour about Chinese military operation in Cambodia is actually the military power which has built the highest number of military bases in foreign countries, the spokesman said.
Zhaoming went on to call on the media outlets in both Cambodia and China to jointly fight the fake news to protect the strong bond the two countries which only leads to a “win-win” outcome for the nations.
“The media can create a good platform for public opinion to protect the development of the relationship, and journalists must also be brave enough to fight the rumour,” he said. “[To counter the rumour] we need to tell the world about the great achievement that has resulted from the great alliance between Cambodia and China.”
Despite this, Zhaoming said he strongly believes that the rumour will do little to harm to the good relationship between Cambodia and China.
“This great friendship is built by the similarities in our cultures and the interpersonal relationship between the peoples of the two nations [not on military ties],” he said. “There is not a single reason that causes the two governments to burn the bridge between one another.”
Nevertheless, the spokesman added that military cooperation is also a subject of focus for the two countries’ cooperation as the field of security is included in the six prioritised areas of the “diamond cooperation framework” which emerged during a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mr Hun Sen on February 10 in Beijing during the latter’s February 9-11 state visit.
“The recently concluded Golden Dragon joint military exercise is an example of how the two governments are working to bring their overall relation to a higher level,” Zhaoming said. “We are not doing anything to act against any third country.”
He added that since the cooperation between Cambodia and China does not focus on favouring or antagonising any country, such a pressure (rumour) will not be effective in shifting Cambodia or China’s foreign policy.
“The relationship between Cambodia and China has run through countless tests, and it still stands strong,” Zhaoming said. “Therefore, I strongly believe that this great friendship will only become stronger in the future and continue to stand the test of time.”
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