Japan sends more naval ships to China-linked base despite US concerns
Japan has sent two naval ships to a Cambodian naval base which was recently upgraded using Chinese funds, heightening US concerns that it will be used as an outpost for China's navy in the Gulf of Thailand.
The two Japanese naval ships docked at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on Saturday. The two minesweepers are part of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force. Their visit marks the first foreign navy visit since the base's expansion project was completed earlier this month.
Japanese officials have developed closer ties with Cambodian counter parts in recent year, which experts say is in a bid to offset China's influence in East and Southeast Asia. Japan had been invited to make the renovated port's first call, widely seen as an attempt to allay Washington's concerns.
Both Japanese ships made a four-day port call at the base's new pier. Holding a total 170 sailors, they are the 141 metre Bungo and the 67 metre Etajima. The two ships were greeted by Cambodian officials including Rear Admiral Mean Savoeun, deputy commander of the base, who held a welcome ceremony.
Concerns about China's activities at the Ream base emerged in 2019 following a Wall Street Journal report alleging a draft agreement that would grant China 30-year use of the base for military personnel, weapon storage, and warship berthing. The US government has publicly and repeatedly aired its concerns.
China and Cambodia have close political, military, and economic ties. They commenced the port project in 2022, which included the demolition of previous naval structures built by the US at the base.
Cambodia has stated that warships from all friendly countries are welcome to dock at the new pier, provided they meet certain conditions. When Japanese Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani announced the planned visit on Tuesday, he said Japan's port call symbolizes friendship with Cambodia and is key to regional stability and peace.
He stated that the visit would help ensure Cambodia has an open and transparent naval port, while noting the concerns over China's growing efforts to secure overseas outposts for military expansion.
The port call came just one day after Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a two-day state visit to Cambodia aimed at further strengthening China's strong ties with its closest ally in Southeast Asia.
A statement on Saturday from Japan's embassy in Cambodia stated that the two vessels are on a mission that began in January to visit 11 countries across Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. The port call in Cambodia is considered a 'historically significant event for Japan-Cambodia relations," it said.
The embassy emphasized that the journey of the Japanese vessels 'underlines the importance of freedom of navigation, free and open international order based on international law, and its development."
In December last year, a US Navy warship called at the nearby civilian port of Sihanoukville on a five-day visit. The visit by the USS Savannah, carrying a crew of 103, was the first in eight years by a US military vessel to Cambodia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
LA anti-ICE looters shatter Apple store and make off with iPhones, Adidas in another night of chaos
Looters tore apart stores across Los Angeles as daytime protests against ICE-immigration raids descended into chaos overnight, yet again — and even a museum dedicated to Japanese-American immigrants was vandalized. Windows were smashed and merchandise was stolen at LA's Broadway Apple store Monday night, while down the block the Adidas store was broken into and robbed of sneakers by frenzied crowds. The windows of a nearby jewelry store were also smashed open and the shop's shelves were completely emptied by looters, while two marijuana dispensaries and a pharmacy were also raided, according to NBC 4. 4 A worker boards up an Adidas store after it was looted following days of protests against federal immigration sweeps and the deployment of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines, in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS Footage from the chaos showed mobs masked and hooded hooligans pouring into the stores and grabbing armloads of whatever was in sight and then pouring back out onto the street spilling goods as they fled. Some ran right into the ranks of waiting cops, but many were able to muscle themselves free from the overwhelmed officers and escape. 'This is so ridiculous. This doesn't look like they're protesting for ICE or anything. Just looting the stores,' one fed up business owner who watched the overnight chaos unfold told News Nation. Across town in Little Tokyo, a sushi restaurant — Otoro Sushi — even had its doors ripped open by mobs, with troublemakers appearing to make off with a computer monitor and other equipment while onlookers yelled that they were 'Making us look bad.' 4 Products lie scattered in an Apple store after it was looted following days of protests against federal immigration sweeps and the deployment of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines, in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS 4 People clean graffiti after days of protests against federal immigration sweeps and the deployment of the California National Guard and US Marines, outside the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS The Japanese American National Museum was even targeted, with 'F**k ICE' and other graffiti spray-painted across windows, walls, and even over what appeared to be an outdoor exhibit about Japanese-American soldiers who fought in WWII as their families were locked away in internment camps. Volunteers flocked to the museum Tuesday morning with brushes and soap to help scrub away what vandalism they could, photos showed. And back on Broadway workers were seen laboring to sweep up and take stock of the damaged stores, while shattered windows and doors were boarded up. 4 Broken glass lies on the floor of a cannabis stores after it was looted following days of protests against federal immigration sweeps and the deployment of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines, in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS At least 14 people were arrested for looting, according to police, while another 96 were arrested for failure to disperse. The protests were expected to continue for a fifth day and night Tuesday, as President Trump dispatched another round of National Guard troops — as well as Marines forces — to quell the chaos. Those deployments — which California's and LA's Democrat leaders say have done nothing but fuel the chaos in the city — is expected to cost at least $134 million, the Pentagon revealed Tuesday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said its likely the troops will remain in LA for about 60 days, telling a House budget hearing that the protestors were 'rioters, looters and thugs.' Chaos was sparked in the City of Angels Friday after ICE carried out numerous raids to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. Activists attempted to block the raids and later picketed a downtown detention center where some of the detainees were being held, before the demonstrations snowballed into all-out riots in some areas.
Los Angeles Times
36 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
US stocks drift closer to their record as Wall Street waits to see what US-China talks will bear
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks drifted closer to their all-time high on Tuesday as the wait continued to hear what will come of trade talks between the United States and China. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% as talks between the world's two largest economies carried into a second day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 105 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6%. Stocks have roared higher since dropping roughly 20% below their record two months ago, when President Donald Trump shocked financial markets with his announcement of tariffs that were so stiff that they raised worries about a possible recession. Much of the rally has been due to hopes that Trump would lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with countries around the world, and the S&P 500 is back within 1.7% of its record set in February. It's getting to be time to see whether such hopes were warranted. The talks with China were going 'really, really well,' U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said Tuesday evening in London, where the talks were being held. The two sides worked on 'all sorts of trade issues,' he said, according to a video clip posted by the Chinese state broadcaster CGTN. Both the United States and China have put many of their tariffs announced against each other on pause as talks continue. Even though many tariffs are on hold for the moment, they're still affecting companies and their ability to make profits because of all the uncertainty they've created. Designer Brands, the company behind the DSW shoe store chain, became the latest U.S. company to yank its financial forecasts for 2025 because of 'uncertainty stemming primarily from global trade policies.' The company, which also owns the Keds, Jessica Simpson and other shoe brands, reported a larger loss for the start of the year than analysts were expecting, and its revenue also fell short of forecasts. CEO Doug Howe pointed to 'persistent instability and pressure on consumer discretionary' spending, and the company's stock tumbled 18.2%. The uncertainty is moving in both directions, to be sure. A survey released Tuesday of optimism among small U.S. businesses improved a bit in May. 'While the economy will continue to stumble along until the major sources of uncertainty are resolved, owners reported more positive expectations on business conditions and sales growth,' according to Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at the National Federation of Independent Business. On Wall Street, J.M. Smucker fell 15.6% even though its results for the latest quarter topped analysts' expectations. Its revenue fell short of expectations, as did its forecast for profit in the upcoming year. Tesla helped to make up for such losses after rising 5.7%. The electric vehicle company has been recovering since tumbling last week as Elon Musk's relationship with Trump imploded. That raised fear about possible retaliation by the U.S. government against Tesla. Shares that trade in the United States of chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. rose 2.6% after the company known as TSMC said its revenue in May jumped nearly 40% from the year earlier. Casey's General Stores leaped 11.6% after the chain of convenience stores based in Ankeny, Iowa, reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It credited strength in sales of hot sandwiches and other items. All told, the S&P 500 rose 32.93 points to 6,038.81. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 105.11 to 42,866.87, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 123.75 to 19,714.99. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed amid mostly modest movements across Europe and Asia. A 0.8% drop for Germany's DAX and a 0.6% gain for South Korea's Kospi were two of the bigger moves. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.47% from 4.49% late Monday. Choe writes for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
China's Petrochemical Reliance on U.S. Outweighs Rare Earth Trade
US petrochemical producers may have found themselves on the front line of global trade wars, BNEF reports, with China's dependence on the US for feedstocks (see "Chinese Plastics Factories Face Mass Closure As US Ethane Supply Evaporates") blunting the impact of its dominations of exports of rare earth metals. China imported more than 565,000 barrels per day of petrochemical feedstocks from the US in 2024 according to the Energy Information Administration, with a value of over $4.7 billion. That dwarfed the $170 million of rare earths the US imported last year, about 70% of which came from China, according to the US Geological Survey. The figures show the dependence the US and China have developed on each other by ever tightening trade links over the past few decades. While China has a tight grip on refining many metals crucial for industry, it also takes in niche chemicals from the US that are difficult to buy elsewhere. China leans on naphtha to produce most base chemicals, which are processed further to end up in everyday items like electronics and clothing. However, some plants can switch to cheaper propane when the economics make sense, which they do regularly. Propane dehydrogenation plants however can't process alternatives like naphtha. The US accounted for over half of all China's propane imports in 2024. US producers have looked to China to buy their ballooning volumes of feedstock, the market value of which has almost quadrupled since 2020. China accounts for almost half of all new mixed-feed ethylene and propylene production capacity set to come online globally over the next four years, based on data compiled by BloombergNEF. A forced divorce The honeymoon period may be about to end. Following the implementation of tariffs by President Donald Trump's administration in April, China retaliated with its own on US imports — including a 125% tariff on feedstocks like propane and ethane. The duty effectively killed the economics of importing US feedstocks. Alternative sources of propane may be hard or expensive to come by, with producers in the Middle East sending most of their supplies to India, South Korea and Japan. While some rerouting could take place, Middle Eastern players could use the lack of alternatives for China's propane dehydrogenation plants to charge a premium. China's propane dehydrogenation operators, like Hengli Petrochemical, have already suffered from weak margins over the past years. Many may opt to shut their operations temporarily. A messy settlement China moved quickly to remove tariffs on US ethane as trade talks commenced. However, while China seems willing to buy US ethane, the US administration may no longer allow it. Enterprise Products Partners — the largest US-based exporter of petrochemical feedstocks — received a notice on Wednesday from the Bureau of Industry and Security at the US Department of Commerce, denying licenses to export ethane to China on the basis that such flows 'pose an unacceptable risk of use in or diversion to a 'military end use' in China.' Energy Transfer received a similar communication. China's ethane cracking capacity is dwarfed by its capacity to process naphtha and propane, but almost all of its ethane imports come from the US. The restrictions will have a significant impact on the Lianyungang and Tianjin plants, owned by Satellite Chemical, Sinopec and INEOS. SP Chemicals, a Singapore-based producer, sources most of its feedstock from Enterprise Products Partners. As the trade war continues, it appears commodities may lead the confrontation, with players on both sides set to feel the pain. By More Top Reads From this article on
