This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now licensed for reprint.
The American military’s Halifax-class ship HMCS Ottawa has completed a four-day pleasant visit to Cambodia where, as with all other international vessels, it was not given access to the China-developed Ream marine center.
The ship is on a quest to “promote harmony, balance, and the rules-based foreign order” in the Indo-Pacific area, known as Operation Horizon.
Last month, it conducted , joint activities with the U. S. navy , in the South China Sea and sailed near the Scarborough reef, a , hub of tension between China and the Philippines.
It even took element in La Perouse 25, a French-led foreign training in waters near the Indonesian archipelago.
On its first visit to Cambodia, HMCS Ottawa, with 240 team docked from Feb. 1 to Feb. 4 at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, 20 kilometers ( 12 miles ) from the Scoop center where two Chinese ships are the only foreign ships allowed entry.
The United States has expressed concern about the lack of transparency in China’s growth of the bottom and whether it will eventually function as the Chinese navy’s de-facto overseas base close to the disputed South China Sea.
The Canadian boat’s visit was aimed at” strengthening cooperation and connection between the fleets of both places”, the , city’s management , said.
The HMCS Ottawa, on the other hand, applauded its attend as a testament to Canada’s growing involvement in the area.
” This attend allows us to clearly show an enduring defense , commitment , to the Indo-Pacific area and improve Canada’s function as a trusted global companion”, it said on its Facebook page.
In light of concerns about China’s growing affect there and its claims to the effectively crucial South China Sea, Canada has been paying closer attention to maintaining close ties with Cambodia.
This year, Canada will convert its Phnom Penh office to a full-fledged embassy with a representative ambassador. Since then, diplomatic relationships have been managed by its business in Phnom Penh and military in neighboring Thailand.
South China Sea issues
Soon before the visit to Cambodia, the HMCS Ottawa’s team spent a couple of sleep time in Surabaya, Indonesia, after the successful implementation of La Perouse 25, a nine-nation sea training led by the European army, on Jan. 24, 2025.
The practice took position in the straits of Malacca, Sunda and Lombok, which link the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Thirteen warships from Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States and France’s Charles De Gaulle ship strike team joined the training, focused on sea health education.
However, next month’s joint practice between the HMCS Ottawa and the U.S. Navy battleship USS Higgins in the contested South China Sea attracted the most attention.
Under the Taiwanese military’s close watch, the ships conducted communications exercises, trip procedures, and anti-submarine war training while maneuvering through the South China Sea’s international waters.
China has frequently criticized what it perceives to be outsiders ‘ interference in the area where it claims “historic rights” to almost 90 % of the waterway despite opposition from other littoral states.
Cambodia is never a party to the South China Sea dispute, but it has recently gotten more involved with China, which is Cambodia’s largest investment and source of financial aid.
