What are Chinese vessels doing at Ream?

The Ream Naval Base News released some photos of the course’s opening ceremony showing Chinese crew, both in uniform and plain clothed, sitting among Cambodian military staff.

“These are early days for the Cambodians to be learning about ‘big’ ships, at least compared to what they’re used to - patrol boats,” according to another defense analyst, Tom Shugart.

The scope of training may be limited as “at this point I think most of the logistical facilities are still under construction,” said Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security.

“The ships do not seem to have gone to sea. So I suspect the training consisted of in port training, equipment familiarization and bi-lateral discussions, classes, etc.,” said Schuster, who added “all port visits have a political element.”

“Allowing ship tours to visitors from the town, working with local naval forces and meeting with local officials often are more important than the training activities,” the analyst explained.

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