The US funded and helped built some facilities at Ream Naval Base several years ago. Combodia tore it down in 2020. And now China is funding and helping build more infrastructures at Ream.
US is behaving exactly like a jealous jilted suitor.
Chinese oversea bases
- Thread starter tphuang
- Start date
The US funded and helped built some facilities at Ream Naval Base several years ago. Combodia tore it down in 2020. And now China is funding and helping build more infrastructures at Ream.
US is behaving exactly like a jealous jilted suitor.
In my opion Singapore's pretty pro-western. Would they allow a China naval base???
I remember something about them were open to allowing PLAN ships to replenish in its port. Might not be useful if it gets shutdown in a potential conflict scenario though
Here are some distance to think about from Ream:
to Andaman 1200km
to Singapore 1000km
to Penang 650km
to south of Java Island 2000km
to Perth 4800km
to IN East Naval command HQ 2300km
to Southern tip of India 2840 km
So what does this tell us? Their ISR drones can provide 24/7 surveillance of all Will land based fighter jets, they have the range to fly to within 400 km of Andaman, launch ground attack missiles and PGMs against targets there. J20 can provide escort and J16 can provide the attacking prowess. Even H6K can come and launch a whole bunch of missiles. KJ500 can stay far away and provide full battlefield surveillance.
The short range all across Malacca Straits from Penang to Singapore shows you that Chinese fighter jets taking off from an airport around Ream would be able to provide extreme amount of harassment to any Western CSGs coming through Malacca straits. The 1000km from Ream to Singapore means China can simply load up Yuan submarines in the water between Singapore and Borneo to java Sea. This will make the life of a CSG trying to transit from Indian Ocean or Atlantic Ocean through SCS to West Pacific very difficult. Yuan submarine does not have the range to go from Hainan to Singapore and stay silent there for another week.
Keep in mind that Chinese LACMs and ASBMs will probably have ranges of 2500 KM over the next 10 years. Missiles launched from around Ream can hammer Indian East Naval command and any naval presence in Southern India. On top of that, they can hit any CSG trying to get to westpac from Indian Ocean via the water between Java Island and Australia. Any ISR assets from around Ream would have the range to maintain 24/7 surveillance of that area.
Range of 4800 km to Perth means that H20 could take off from there and launch large amount of gliding PGMs against RAN Western naval center. It would obviously also be able to hit Darwin.
Keep in mind that Ream would be a complement to Spratley bases, not a replacement. They work in harmony. Spratley bases are small and easily targetable by USN SSNs and have issues with sinking against climate change. Having something in Ream would allow Chinese diesel submarines and ASW assets to concentrate on obvious entry points from Indian Ocean or Australia into SCS. This would stop SSNs from destroying Spratley bases. Spratley islands alone are not enough to stop USN CSGs from getting to westpac.
As you can see, China does not need to actually station a fleet at Ream. It can build up facilities there that will allow Chinese ships to occasionally come by and make port calls and for the ships to get replenished. They can help fix up air bases near by and occasionally have PLAAF brigades come and have exercises with their allis in Cambodia. They can help install logistic centers for Cambodian navy and their own occasional visits. They can build radar stations and similar facilities there that they share with Cambodian military. They can sell air defense systems, EW systems for really cheap to Cambodian military to guard this area. In the foreseeable future, they do not need to have a real base there. They can always move a fleet there during war time to protect the area, because you know it would be a target for transiting USN fleet.
to Andaman 1200km
to Singapore 1000km
to Penang 650km
to south of Java Island 2000km
to Perth 4800km
to IN East Naval command HQ 2300km
to Southern tip of India 2840 km
So what does this tell us? Their ISR drones can provide 24/7 surveillance of all Will land based fighter jets, they have the range to fly to within 400 km of Andaman, launch ground attack missiles and PGMs against targets there. J20 can provide escort and J16 can provide the attacking prowess. Even H6K can come and launch a whole bunch of missiles. KJ500 can stay far away and provide full battlefield surveillance.
The short range all across Malacca Straits from Penang to Singapore shows you that Chinese fighter jets taking off from an airport around Ream would be able to provide extreme amount of harassment to any Western CSGs coming through Malacca straits. The 1000km from Ream to Singapore means China can simply load up Yuan submarines in the water between Singapore and Borneo to java Sea. This will make the life of a CSG trying to transit from Indian Ocean or Atlantic Ocean through SCS to West Pacific very difficult. Yuan submarine does not have the range to go from Hainan to Singapore and stay silent there for another week.
Keep in mind that Chinese LACMs and ASBMs will probably have ranges of 2500 KM over the next 10 years. Missiles launched from around Ream can hammer Indian East Naval command and any naval presence in Southern India. On top of that, they can hit any CSG trying to get to westpac from Indian Ocean via the water between Java Island and Australia. Any ISR assets from around Ream would have the range to maintain 24/7 surveillance of that area.
Range of 4800 km to Perth means that H20 could take off from there and launch large amount of gliding PGMs against RAN Western naval center. It would obviously also be able to hit Darwin.
Keep in mind that Ream would be a complement to Spratley bases, not a replacement. They work in harmony. Spratley bases are small and easily targetable by USN SSNs and have issues with sinking against climate change. Having something in Ream would allow Chinese diesel submarines and ASW assets to concentrate on obvious entry points from Indian Ocean or Australia into SCS. This would stop SSNs from destroying Spratley bases. Spratley islands alone are not enough to stop USN CSGs from getting to westpac.
As you can see, China does not need to actually station a fleet at Ream. It can build up facilities there that will allow Chinese ships to occasionally come by and make port calls and for the ships to get replenished. They can help fix up air bases near by and occasionally have PLAAF brigades come and have exercises with their allis in Cambodia. They can help install logistic centers for Cambodian navy and their own occasional visits. They can build radar stations and similar facilities there that they share with Cambodian military. They can sell air defense systems, EW systems for really cheap to Cambodian military to guard this area. In the foreseeable future, they do not need to have a real base there. They can always move a fleet there during war time to protect the area, because you know it would be a target for transiting USN fleet.
I heard the same story too - During one of Singapore's founder and first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's (LKY) many visits to China, he explained (to Deng Xiaoping if I remember correctly) the rationale behind allowing US warships to use Changi Naval Base, and told China that when she is ready to station warships along Malacca Strait, Singapore will open Changi Base to China too.
Of course, since it is a verbal promise, there is no obligation for LKY's successors to fulfil it.
A month ago, I searched the internet for confirmation of this conversation but could not find any. It was not recorded in LKY's memoire either. Anyone with more background info on this ?
Back then, LKY probably could not foresee the current competition between US and China in these region. The best Singapore can do in any US/China conflict is to stay neutral. I think all the ASEAN countries will stay in neutral. That includes Vietnam, which would get flattened if it tries something funny.
If we get to a day where China is stronger than America militarily in this area, Singapore will switch to China as its protector. In the end of the day, Singapore really fears Malaysia and Indonesia invading them or cutting off supplies to them. It needs an outside protector.
@tphuang Sir Malaysia maybe balkanized, I based my thesis that Sabah may secede either joining the Philippine or forming a Sultanate of Jolo. Their hold of Sarawak is not strong," The population consists mainly of Dayak ethnic groups, Malay, Banjar, Orang Ulu, Chinese and Kadazan-Dusun. The Chinese, who make up 29% of the population of Sarawak and 17% of total population in West Kalimantan, Indonesia are descendants of immigrants primarily from southeastern China". The Malaysian threat is a bogus, so LKY can strong arm his way around to modernized Singapore. I hope to hear @badoc opinion on this and I'm all ears bro.
Yes, this is true.
I have read it on paper, The Straits Times, so no online link unfortunately.
Haha, we are in a difficult position, no doubt.
We need both of them now.
With our massive investments in China, I believe our future lies with China.
"
Since 2013, China has been Singapore’s largest trading partner, and Singapore has been China’s largest foreign investor. "
.
What's to stop US subs and ships to shower that base with Tomahawk missiles from say Andaman Sea?
Also, what use China has from a base that host-country don't wants/fears to admit, from fearing the US reaction? How reliable is such base in hour of need?
You have to be realistic- China has no and will have no allies in an eventual fight against the US. All surrounding countries fear China and will be on US side ( or at least not on Chinese side ) because they might not like the US very much, but at least US is 10 000 km away and China is across the border/sea. China is simply too big and strong to be accepted. China can be a master of SE Asia or one of US servants, but not equal player and friend. And all these countries prefer the second option.
Also, there's no big number of US expats in their countries, but there are millions of Chinese. And they mostly don't like them. And if China wins, they will have to start to like them.
Notable exception to this is, of course- at least at the moment, Russia. And NK too.
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For Singapore, an independent Sarawak or Sabah is beneficial for us.
I remember we had high hopes for the Philippines during the Marcos years.
We look to Marcos for support.
Singapore would have poured huge investments into Sarawak and Sabah instead of Batam.
That may siphon off some of our investments in China.
I remember we had high hopes of investments into Johor, Malaysia and Batam, Indonesia to form a triangle, industrial and trading zone.
After running into issues, we redirected our focus to China.
.