REAM: A US warship on Saturday made a port call at a Cambodian naval base for the first time since Chinese renovations that have raised concerns in Washington.

The United States has said Ream Naval Base, off Cambodia’s southern coast, could give China a key strategic position in the Gulf of Thailand near the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

The littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) docked on Saturday morning at one of the base’s piers 150 metres (yards) away from a pair of Chinese warships.

“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,” Andrew J. Recame, the ship’s commanding officer, told reporters.

Cambodian leaders have repeatedly denied that the base is for use by any single foreign power, following US media reports in 2022 saying the new facilities at Ream — originally built partly with US funds — would be exclusively for the Chinese navy.

Ream base said in a statement that the five-day US visit would “promote cooperation between the two countries”, and that it showed Cambodia’s “commitment in implementing an open policy, transparent and cooperation with international partners”.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and a delegation from China’s People’s Liberation Army inaugurated the base in April last year. Hun Manet denied the new and improved facility would be for Beijing’s “exclusive” use, saying ships from other countries would be allowed to dock.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2026