The Chinese military is holding war game military exercises with Cambodia this month, following China’s inauguration of a second overseas military base last month.
According to Newsweek, Chinese military forces, including a landing capable of supporting amphibious warfare, have been deployed to a new base in Cambodia for a joint military exercise with Cambodia near the South China Sea.
Newsweek reported that China officially inaugurated a military base in Cambodia last month as the country’s second publicly acknowledged overseas base. According to the outlet, the joint logistics and training center, which is located in the southwestern region of Cambodia, is housed at Ream Naval Base.
In a Friday press release, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced, “Chinese troops participating in the China-Cambodia Golden Dragon 2025 joint exercise held a departure ceremony at a military port in south China’s Zhanjiang city on the afternoon of May 8.”
“Troops assigned to the Chinese PLA Army, Navy, Air Force and Joint Logistic Support Force assembled on the flight deck of the PLANS amphibious dock landing ship Changbaishan (Hull 989),” the press release added. “After the ceremony, they set out for the exercise area in Cambodia through sea and air means.”
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China’s Ministry of National Defense explained that both the Chinese and Cambodian militaries are holding the Golden Dragon 2025 joint military exercise in Cambodia this month. Chinese officials noted that the joint military exercise will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations and counter-terrorism operations. China’s Ministry of National Defense added that this month’s Golden Dragon joint military exercise is the 7th military exercise in the current series between the two countries’ militaries.
In a statement obtained by Newsweek, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said, “[Exercise Golden Dragon 2025] will facilitate practical cooperation between the two sides and contribute to the building of a China-Cambodia all-weather community with a shared future for the new era.”
Pictures of Chinese military troops arriving for a welcoming ceremony in Cambodia have been shared on X, formerly Twitter.
