China signs deal with Cambodia’s army

The Chinese and Cambodian armies have signed a memorandum of understanding, as Beijing seeks to deepen regional security ties amid increasing competition with the U.S.

Senior commanders from the ground forces of the two militaries sealed the agreement in a video call Thursday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Col. Wu Qian told a regular news briefing in Beijing. He didn’t elaborate on the details of the agreement.

“China and Cambodia are close neighbors and ironclad friends,” Wu said. “In recent years, the pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries in various fields, including strategic communication, joint exercises and training, exchanges and personnel training, has continued to deepen.”

The agreement was signed by Gen. Liu Zhenli, commander of the People’s

Liberation Army Ground Forces, and Gen. Hun Manet, deputy commander-inchief of the Royal Cambodian Army. Hun Manet, who studied at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, is the eldest son Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and has been endorsed by the nation’s ruling party as its future leader.

The announcement comes days after revelations that China was crafting a security pact with the Solomon Islands, that would give its warships a safe harbor some 1,200 miles from the Australian coast. Ministers from Australia and New Zealand have expressed concern about the deal’s impact on security in the South Pacific.

Ties between the U.S. and Cambodia have been tense following reports in 2019 that Beijing signed a secret agreement to allow its armed forces to exclusively use parts of the Asian nation’s Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand.