The USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) berthed at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on Saturday, the first U.S. vessel to dock there since Chinese-funded renovations raised concern in Washington. The ship moored about 150 metres from two Chinese warships during a five-day visit the base described as promoting cooperation. Cambodian leaders, including Prime Minister Hun Manet, insist the facility is open to multiple partners despite longstanding Western unease dating back to 2019.
US Warship Docks at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base — First Visit Since Chinese Renovation
The USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) littoral combat ship is the first US warship to dock at Cambodia's Ream Naval base since renovations to the site made with China's help (Suy SE)(Suy SE/AFP/AFP)
The littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) berthed at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on Saturday, marking the first U.S. port call at the facility since Chinese-led renovations prompted concern in Washington.
The Cincinnati docked at one of Ream's piers roughly 150 metres from two Chinese warships, beginning a five-day visit that the base said was intended to "promote cooperation between the two countries." AFP journalists on site confirmed the proximity of the vessels.
It is our privilege and our honour to be here as the first US naval vessel to moor pierside at Ream Naval Base, and we hope this is the beginning of a longstanding tradition and friendship.
— Commander Andrew J. Recame, commanding officer, USS Cincinnati
Cambodian officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Ream is reserved for any single foreign power. The upgraded facilities at Ream — originally built in part with U.S. funding — were renovated with substantial Chinese assistance beginning in 2022, and Phnom Penh maintains the base is open and transparent to international partners.
Background And Regional Concerns
Western concern over Ream dates back to at least 2019 after reporting on a leaked draft agreement that could have allowed China to berth warships there. In late 2023, Chinese vessels used the base's 363-metre pier for the first time. Two weeks after the base's formal inauguration in April of last year — attended by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and a delegation from China's People’s Liberation Army — Japanese warships made a subsequent call, illustrating Phnom Penh's stated policy of allowing multiple partners access.
In 2024, a U.S. warship visited the commercial port at Sihanoukville, the first American military port call in Cambodia in eight years, underscoring a cautious reopening of military-to-military contact despite geopolitical sensitivities in the region.
Geopolitical Context
Cambodia is one of China's closest allies in Southeast Asia. Under former Prime Minister Hun Sen — Hun Manet's father — Beijing invested billions of dollars in Cambodian infrastructure projects, deepening bilateral ties even as relations with Washington cooled. Analysts say Ream's location on the Gulf of Thailand near the contested South China Sea makes the base strategically significant.
This port call by the USS Cincinnati is being watched closely by regional capitals and Washington as a signal of continued U.S. engagement, and as part of ongoing scrutiny over foreign access to Ream Naval Base.
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