Is China building a military base in Cambodia?

By
Michael Radunski

China’s ambassador Wang Wentian vigorously rams a red spade into the sandy soil of the Cambodian coast. At his side is Cambodia’s Minister of Defense Tea Banh, who then also grabs a shovel. The diplomat and the military want to show through their unusual manual labor effort: From now on, China and Cambodia will be moving into the future together. It was a special groundbreaking ceremony which the two celebrated last Wednesday. It marks the beginning of the modernization of the Ream naval base on the Cambodian coast – and Wang is already in the midst of a double play.