Phnom Penh, Cambodia (AP)-Two Japanese Navy ships accosted the Naval Naval Base of Cambodia on Saturday, whose recently finished Chinese upgrade has increased American concerns in the United States which it will be used as a strategic vantry for the Chinese Navy in the Gulf of Thailand.
The visit of the two dredgers of Mines, the 141 -meter long bungo (463 feet) and the 67 meters (219 feet) and Etajima, which is part of the Japanese maritime self -defense force, marks the first visit of the foreign navy from the base of the base of the base of The extension project was completed Earlier this month.
Tokyo has developed increasingly close ties with Cambodia in recent years, seeking to compensate for the influence of China in the region, and Cambodia invited it to make the first port of the renovated port, widely considered an attempt to concern Washington’s concerns.
The two Japanese ships, making a four-day port calling with a total of 170 sailors, accosted the new throw of the base, where Cambodian officials, including the counter-Adm. Mean Savoeun, assistant commander of the base, organized a welcome ceremony.
The concerns about the activities of China at the base of Ream emerged in 2019 following a Wall Street Journal report alleging a draft agreement which would grant use in China from the base of the military personnel, the storage of weapons and the docking of the warship. The American government has publicly repeatedly repeated its concerns.
China and Cambodia have close political, military and economic links. They started the port project in 2022, which included the demolition of the previous naval structures built by the United States at the base.
Cambodia has said that warships from all friendly countries are welcome to Dock at the new pier, provided they meet certain conditions. When Japanese Minister of Defense Nakatani Announced Tuesday the planned visit, he said that the Japanese port call symbolizes friendship with Cambodia and is the key to regional stability and peace.
He said the visit would help ensure that Cambodia has an open and transparent naval port, while noting concerns about China’s growing efforts to ensure foreign foreposes for military expansion.
The port call came a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded that a two-day state visit to Cambodia aimed to further strengthen China’s ties with its nearest ally in Southeast Asia.
On Saturday, a declaration from the Japanese Embassy in Cambodia said that the two ships were on a mission which began in January to visit 11 countries across Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. The call for the port in Cambodia is considered an “historically important event for relations with Japan-cambody,” he said.
The embassy stressed that the journey of Japanese ships “underlines the importance of freedom of navigation, the free and open international order based on international law and its development”.
In December of last year, a Warship Us Navy Called to the nearby civilian port of Sihanoukville during a five -day visit. The visit of USS Savannah, carrying a crew of 103, was the first in eight years by an American military ship in Cambodia.
