For the first time in 8 years, a US Navy ship is stopping in Cambodia, one of China's main allies.

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (AP) A U.S. Navy warship arrived in Cambodia on Monday, the first such visit in eight years to a close ally of China in Southeast Asia. The Cambodian government suggested the stopover reflects an improvement in often tense relations.

The USS Savannah docked at the port of Sihanoukville in the Gulf of Thailand for a five-day visit. The Savannah, classified as a littoral combat ship, carries a crew of 103 people.

It's great to be back, to reestablish the American presence here after eight years, the ship's commander, Daniel A. Sledz, said in brief remarks to reporters. A Cambodian officer gave him a bouquet of flowers and shook hands with several of his colleagues.

The United States has had a difficult relationship with Cambodia for many years, criticizing its government for political repression and human rights abuses. There are particular concerns about close ties with China, as Washington fears it will gain exclusive access to a Cambodian naval base in the Gulf of Thailand, not far from where the Savannah docked.

Recently, steps appear to have been taken to repair relations.

Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense said last week that the visit was planned following a US request for a port call, and would strengthen and expand ties of friendship and promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Two days earlier, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted positive dynamics in bilateral relations and cooperation as well as the reinvigoration of military cooperation between Cambodia and the United States.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia in early June, where he met with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He also met with Cambodian alumni of U.S. military training programs. Hun Manet himself graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The US Department of Defense said at the time that the Austin discussions focused on opportunities to strengthen the US-Cambodia bilateral defense relationship in support of regional peace and security, as well as on other issues.

But Washington remains concerned that the modernization of Cambodia's Ream naval base, near Sihanoukville, will serve Beijing's strategic interests in the region.

The United States and others suggest that the Chinese navy is establishing a permanent base at Ream, which would give it easier access to the Strait of Malacca, a key shipping route between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Controversy over Chinese activity at Ream initially erupted in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China to use the base for 30 years, where it could post military personnel, store weapons and warships at the dock.

The Cambodian government has denied such a deal or any intention to grant China special privileges at the base, although Beijing has financed its expansion.

In September, Cambodia's Defense Ministry said China was giving its navy two warships of the type it had docked there for months. China is set to hand over two newly built Type 56 corvettes, smaller vessels typically used for coastal patrols, at the earliest next year after Cambodia requested China's support.

The Cambodian Defense Ministry said the stopover in Savannah would include a working meeting with the commander of Ream Naval Base, as well as meetings with provincial officials and a friendly sports competition between U.S. Navy crews and of the Cambodian Navy.

Cambodian Navy Captain Mean Savoeun, deputy commander of Ream Naval Base, was among those who welcomed the Savannah to Sihanoukville. He said he was happy to see the good relations between Cambodia and the United States, especially between their navies, and believed that the visit would strengthen diplomatic cooperation.

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