China and Cambodia have started their maiden naval exercises in the latter country. Troops belonging to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Military Command participated in the drills, known as China-Cambodia Golden Dragon 2023, which started on 19th March, according to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.
The Chinese state-run Global Times reported on Monday, citing the PLA command, that the Chinese navy ship Jinggangshan, which transported the troops to Cambodia, conducted an exercise with two patrol boats of the Royal Cambodian Navy and developed collaboration before practicing coordinated navigation in various formations.
The Jinggangshan, a Type 071 landing ship, sailed from Zhanjiang in southern China to Cambodia.
According to a report by state-run China Central Television, Captain Xu Jinfeng, the commanding officer of the Jinggangshan, “In the two-hour navigation and communication exercise with the Cambodian navy, our organization and command were precise, coordination was close, and communications were smooth.” (CCTV).
According to Chinese government-run media, the Golden Dragon exercises will last until April 8 and involve more than 3,000 troops and 300 vehicles from both countries.
Concern over Cambodia’s growing ties to China has been expressed in the United States, Australia, and a few of its Southeast Asian neighbors who also claim to have rights over the South China Sea.
The US helped build some of the buildings at the Ream naval station in Cambodia, which Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, has since demolished. In 2022, the two nations decided on a two-year Chinese-funded proposal to upgrade the base.
Despite a 2016 international court decision finding China’s so-called “nine-dash line” to be without substance, China has been more outspoken about its claim to nearly the entirety of the South China Sea.
It has stationed its coast guard and marine militia on rocky outcrops as military outposts.
