China and Cambodia hold first naval drills in Cambodian waters

China, Cambodia hold first-ever joint maritime military exercises

More than 200 officers and soldiers from the Army, Navy and joint logistics support units of the Chinese southern theater arrived at Sihanoukville, Cambodia, last week for the "Gold Dragon-2023" joint exercise with the Royal Cambodian Navy, part of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

China and Cambodia held military naval exercises for the first time in Cambodian waters, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said on Monday.

Three Chinese and Cambodian ships cooperated with each other to complete formation training and communication exercises on Sunday, the defense ministry said.

The Chinese navy ship Jinggangshan, which brought the troops to Cambodia, carried out an exercise with two patrol boats of the Royal Cambodian Navy and established communications before practising coordinated navigation in different formations, the Chinese state-run Global Times reported on Monday, citing the PLA command.

The Jinggangshan is a Type 071 landing ship that travelled to Cambodia from Zhanjiang in southern China.

“In the two-hour navigation and communication exercise with the Cambodian navy, our organisation and command were precise, coordination was close, and communications were smooth,” Captain Xu Jinfeng, the commanding officer of the Jinggangshan, said in a report by state-run China Central Television (CCTV).

The Golden Dragon exercises will continue until April 8 and include more than 3,000 personnel and 300 vehicles from both sides, according to Chinese state media.

The Golden Dragon exercises will continue until April 8 and include more than 3,000 personnel and 300 vehicles from both sides, according to Chinese state media.Cambodia’s deepening relationship with China has raised concern in the United States and Australia, as well as among some of its neighbours in Southeast Asia who, like China, have claims to the South China Sea.

In 2022, the two countries agreed on a two-year Chinese-funded project to revamp Cambodia’s Ream naval base on the Gulf of Thailand, and Phnom Penh has since dismantled facilities there that were built partly with money from the US.