A US Navy aid unit has been told to leave Cambodia, the US embassy said, in a new sign of the Southeast Asian country loosening links with Washington as it strengthens ties with Beijing.
The departure of the US Navy Mobile Construction Battalion — known as the Seabees — meant the cancelation of 20 planned projects, including at schools and hospitals, the embassy said on its Facebook page on Monday.
“Last week, the Royal Government of Cambodia notified the Embassy of its decision to postpone indefinitely the Seabees program,” the embassy said. “We are sad to see the Seabees go, but proud of their accomplishments over the last nine years.”
Cambodian Ministry of National Defense spokesman Chhum Socheat said he was unaware of such a decision.
Cambodia has gone further than other Southeast Asian nations in courting China and the shift away from Washington has continued under US President Donald Trump, despite Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s professed admiration for him.
Relations have been strained by US criticism of a legal change that made it easier for the government to ban political parties and by renewed Cambodian demands for the cancelation of US$500 million in debts dating to the 1970s war era.
In January, Cambodia suspended joint military exercises that were due to have been held in June.
Phnom Penh said it would be too busy with elections then and rejected any connection to China.
Last year, Beijing held a joint naval drill with Cambodia for the first time. Cambodia’s armed forces have benefited from Chinese training and equipment, including jeeps, rocket launchers and helicopters.
Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has boasted of his new friendship with China, despite a longstanding territorial dispute.
Thailand’s military junta has increased purchases of Chinese hardware, including a further 10 tanks worth US$58 million approved by the Cabinet yesterday.
Thailand ordered 28 tanks from China last year.
“These tanks will replace the M41 tanks, which are small and old,” Thai government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd told reporters.
In January, the Cabinet also approved 13.5 billion baht (US$380 million) to buy a submarine from China and is considering buying three more.
The reduction in military links with Cambodia would be a setback for US strategy in the region, but Hun Sen could also end up losing out, said Carl Thayer, professor at the University of New South Wales.
“His anti-US actions will only increase Cambodia’s dependency on China,” he said.
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