Another pearl in China’s string?

[Kung-fu Hillbilly]

Charles Dunst Shahn Savino
27 May 202

Plans in Cambodia for a massive tourist resort on an out-of-the way island don‘t add up and may serve a different goal.

A growing wave of anti-Chinese sentiment across Cambodia has not wrested Prime Minister HE from his embrace of Beijing. His regime has instead further cosied up to China, reportedly granting it military access to a naval base in Sihanoukville, as well as the opportunity to build an airport and deep-sea port at Dara Sakor, in nearby Koh Kong province. While the latter is supposedly a civilian project, China’s “civil-military fusion” frequently erases the line between the country’s military and civilian sectors, expanding its global reach.

In 2008, the Cambodian government granted Royal Group, run by business oligarch Kith Meng, who is also the president of Cambodia’s Chamber of Commerce, a 99-year lease to develop the island in conjunction with a Hong Kong real estate company, which later dropped out. The obscure Chinese-owned Royal Galaxy Group then filled the vacuum. This acquisition appears to be its only one (much like the Chinese company developing Dara Sakor).

But the announced details of their project do not match its civilian billing. Why would the resort need to accommodate 6000 people, when the number of tourists on the island at any time is far fewer than that? Why does the project include an airport, even though one already exists in nearby Sihanoukville? And why would this airport need a 2650-metre runway, long enough to accommodate bigger planes such as the Airbus A321 – as well as potentially China’s long-range bombers and military transports? (By way of comparison, the runway of Phnom Penh’s airport is 3000 metres.)

Indeed, China has blurred commercial and strategic interests elsewhere. Its supposedly civilian projects in Pakistan and Sri Lanka are equipped with dual-use ports to accommodate naval vessels and located along sea lines of communication that are strategically vital to both China and Western nations. A new deep-sea port in Kyaukpyu, Myanmar sits strategically in the Indian Ocean and is seen as another potential dual-use outpost for China.

full https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-inter ... a-s-string

[fazur]

get used to the new boss

im learning chinese

[Clemen]

Charles Dunst Shahn Savino
27 May 202

Plans in Cambodia for a massive tourist resort on an out-of-the way island don‘t add up and may serve a different goal.


But the announced details of their project do not match its civilian billing. Why would the resort need to accommodate 6000 people, when the number of tourists on the island at any time is far fewer than that? Why does the project include an airport, even though one already exists in nearby Sihanoukville? And why would this airport need a 2650-metre runway, long enough to accommodate bigger planes such as the Airbus A321 – as well as potentially China’s long-range bombers and military transports? (By way of comparison, the runway of Phnom Penh’s airport is 3000 metres.

full https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-inter ... a-s-string

Saying there's an airport in "nearby Sihanoukville" is a bit relative to how one defines "nearby". If there's no traffic on Cambodia's busiest road, and if it's in good condition you can go from one to the other in about three hours. It's often 5-6 and one time it took me 8. Resort vacationers don't want that nonsense.
Why would the runway be as long as it is? The answer is in the next part of the sentence, so it can service a very popular type of plane.

[SternAAlbifrons]

Oh FFS, this old chestnut again.
Total fucking bullshit.

post414326.html?hilit=nemo%20not%20you#p414334
^^^ and half a doz other threads dealing with this totally unsubstantiated and ill-informed speculation.
Generated by the dinosaur faction within the US State dept and then quietly "background briefed" to all the puppy dog press.

It reminds me of those claims some years ago, and the accompanying fake photo's that appeared in all the free world's leading press, that Gaddafi was a cross dressing tranny. Remember that?
Probably the very same CIA officers were responsible for both.

"But the announced details of their project do not match its civilian billing. Why would the resort need to accommodate 6000 people, when the number of tourists on the island at any time is far fewer than that?"
FFS, haven't they ever heard of rapid development of island tourism in SEA. Koh Rong is obviously perfect for this.

"And why would this airport need a 2650-metre runway, long enough to accommodate bigger planes such as the Airbus A321 – as well as potentially China’s long-range bombers and military transports? (By way of comparison, the runway of Phnom Penh’s airport is 3000 metres.)"
Well Mr CIA, i/ that is actually shorter than nearly every new major tourist runway in Asia.
ii/ and it is too short for long range bombers and military transports.

Total intelligence ineptitude resulting from a cultural arrogance that can see no further than it's own arsehole - the reason USA has lost every war it has fought in the past 60 years.

Case closed (pleeeease) until actual evidence appears - not more of the same rehashed propaganda and fear mongering.

[fazur]

Oh FFS, this old chestnut again.
Total fucking bullshit.
Case closed (pleeeease) until actual evidence appears - not more of the same rehashed propaganda and fear mongering.

my thoughts exactly

china doesnt need to use military force they have money

if this is the best the west can come u with, it just proves that china will use finance not the military

[SternAAlbifrons]

Exactly Faz ^^^
A few "open seas" sail thru's a year, half a dozen fly overs, empty threats to pull a couple of outdated mothballed aircraft carriers back into service.
Economic and political disengagement from SEA and the Pacific. A president that the rest of the world regards as an idiot.
A balance of payments situation that delivers China trillions, and a policy of letting 10's of thousands of Chinese spies to keep crawling over every military, technical and industrial intellectual property of the west.
V.
The fast rolling belt and road initiative sweeping all before it without a shot being fired.

No contest.
weep

[Brody]

empty threats to pull a couple of outdated mothballed aircraft carriers back into service.

Come again?

Your argument was doing just fine on its own...........no need for hyperbolic falsities.

@SternAAlbifrons

I'm waiting.......which outdated and mothballed aircraft carriers were put back into service?

You do your point of view a disservice by inserting flat out misinformation into your diatribes.

[Duncan]

The mighty Khmer Empire,,, easy to see how the kings / rulers of the past lost so much land and ended up with what they have now.

History repeats itself .

[Jerry Atrick]

That's a shit article KFF.

Thanks.

[Kung-fu Hillbilly]

That's a shit article KFF.

Thanks.

I was going to comment on the articles, human interest stories, news, current affairs, research papers and topics of general interest you've contributed to CEO so as to offer members Cambodia related subject matter for reading, discussion or mild interest, however, I couldn't find any.

I understand not everything I post is of interest to all members, and I acknowledge I sometimes miss and post a crappy article, but at least I'm being proactive. You just sit there and pass judgement, OK? Don't go out of your way to contribute threads yourself, alright? It's piss easy to sit on the sidelines and throw stones, isn't it?