June 8 (UPI) -- Cambodia broke ground Wednesday on a Chinese-financed renovation and expansion project at a naval base that's long been a source of concern for Western allies, over Beijing's intention to establish a permanent military presence there.
Chinese and Cambodian officials were on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony at Ream Naval Base, located on the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia's state-run news agency reported that the project would entail dry dock, pier and slipway rehabilitation.
A Washington Post report Tuesday cited unnamed Western officials who said China is secretly building a naval facility on the site for "exclusive" use of its military, which would give Beijing a much sought-after foothold to expand its influence in the region.
Beijing and Phnom Penh have both denied the report.
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Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn rejected the "groundless accusations" during a call Tuesday with Australian counterpart Penny Wong, saying that the base's renovation serves "solely to strengthen the country's naval capacities to protect its maritime integrity and combat crimes."
Cambodia's Constitution "does not permit foreign military base or presence on Cambodian soil," he added.
Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian said in a speech at the naval base Wednesday that the project would help "push the military cooperation between the two countries to a new level," but added that it's "not aimed at any third party."
"Some countries continue to hype and smear the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Cambodia under the guise of democracy and human rights," Wang said.
Accusations of a secret agreement between China and Cambodia over Ream Naval Base were first reported in the Wall Street Journal in 2019.
The United States has long raised questions about China's intentions for the base, particularly after Cambodia demolished a pair of U.S.-funded facilities there in 2020.
A 2021 Pentagon report on China's military developments said that Cambodia refused to accept an offer from the United States to pay to renovate one of the facilities.
"Cambodia may have instead accepted assistance from the [People's Republic of China] to develop the base," the report said, suggesting that Beijing's "overseas basing strategy has diversified to include military capacity-building efforts."
U.S. State Department officials have publicly raised the issue on several occasions, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month reiterating "concerns about how the People's Republic of China's construction of military facilities at Ream Naval Base could negatively affect regional security" during a meeting in Washington with his Cambodian counterpart.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called reports about the naval base "concerning" during a visit to Indonesia on Tuesday.
"We're in regular contact with the Cambodian Government and we have been consistently assured that no foreign military will be granted exclusive access at Ream," Albanese said during a press availability.
"We've been aware of Beijing's activity at Ream for some time, and we encourage Beijing to be transparent about its intent and to ensure that its activities support regional security and stability."
Australia has been sounding the alarm over Beijing's growing assertiveness in the region with greater frequency in recent months.
The leak of a security pact between China and the Solomon Islands in March stoked fears that Beijing would be able to send naval deployments and security forces to the island nation, which is located 1,200 miles from Australia.
A naval base in Cambodia would be China's second foreign military outpost after it opened a naval facility in the East African country of Djibouti in 2017.
