BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2019) The recent reports about a secret agreement between China and Cambodia on the lease of the Ream Naval Base are fake, Phay Siphan, the official spokesman for the Cambodian government, said on Friday.
On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Cambodia had sealed a secret agreement with China, which allowed the latter to use the facility for the next 30 years.
"These groundless allegations are the worst of fake news and affect Cambodia's reputation. The government considers this negative fabricated news to be political in nature. It is unacceptable on the part of Cambodia's leaders and its people, who are voters and decide the fate of their country," the spokesman said, quoted by Phnom Penh Post newspaper.
In the recent years China has been actively trying to expand its influence in Southeast Asia via considerable investments in the region's economies and a naval build-up. Japan, India and the United States have been expressing their concern regarding the matter.
