China Secretly Building Military Facility In Cambodia: What's the implications of this move on the Pacific Region
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Every Super powers in the international system wants to remain at the top as an hegemon both economically and militarily. This has led to different alliances and creating military bases in every continents of the world.
For instance, the United States has a Naval base in Hawaii in the Pacific and also in Europe and Africa through the African Command (AFRICOM). This is in a bid to help mobilize military personnel in those regions of the world.
For some years now, the United States have monitoring the activities China in the Pacific, most especially in Cambodia. Few days ago, it was revealed that the Chinese government have been secretly building a military base in the Pacific country.
China is building a naval facility in Cambodia for military use, the second such overseas outpost and its first in the strategically significant Indo-Pacific region.
The military presence will be on the northern portion of Cambodia's Ream Naval Base, on the Gulf of Thailand, The Washington Post reported. This is China's only other foreign military base right now after a naval facility in the East African country of Djibouti.Source
Such bases can enable the deployment of military forces in theater, and intelligence monitoring of the US military, according to the report.
It further said the new naval base is part of Beijing's strategy to build a network of military facilities around the world in support of its aspirations to become a true global power.
Having a facility capable of hosting large naval vessels would be an important element of the country's ambition to expand its influence in the region, according to US officials and analysts said.Source
Strategically, every Super power is trying to spread it's military apparatus in order to deploy them in war and conflicting situations. Other parts of the world might be as important as the Pacific region of which China is a big name there.
"We assess that the Indo-Pacific is an important piece for China's leaders, who see the Indo-Pacific as China's rightful and historic sphere of influence," one Western official said. "They view China's rise there as part of a global trend toward a multipolar world where major powers more forcefully assert their interests in their perceived sphere of influence."Source
In 2019, the Chinese and Cambodian governments denied signing any pact concerning building a military base in the Indo-Pacific region. This came in days after intelligence report was given about the Chinese military project in the region.
After a while, the heat came down and the US was just in an observation mode waiting to see the outcome of her intelligence report. Suddenly, came the covid-19 pandemic era that distracted everyone from the military base project in the Pacific.
"What we've seen is over time is a very clear and consistent pattern of trying to obfuscate and hide both the end goal as well as the extent of Chinese military involvement," the second official told The Post. "The key thing here is the [PLA's] exclusive use of the facility and having a unilateral military base in another country."Source
China as both a regional and international Super power, needs military bases in strategic areas to help her in times of war.
What's the implications of China's military base in Cambodia to the Pacific Region
China have several rivalries in the Pacific, which include, Japanese and the United States. Like I said earlier, the United States have a Naval base in Hawaii, which serves as a constant threat to the Chinese government.
Building the current military base in Cambodia simply means that the Chinese government have a place to stick from during sudden attacks.
Also, with the China's ambition in the Pacific most especially in her constant desire to invade and annex Taiwan as part of her ancient landmark, the military base in Cambodia serves as a deployment center for the Chinese government.
Finally, the United States and other Chinese rivals need to strengthen their military capabilities in the Pacific to be able to stand the Chinese military apparatus in the Indo-Pacific region.