<p>Cambodia has razed a US-funded defence facility on its southern coast, the deputy prime minister confirmed Sunday, the latest move in the ongoing controversial expansion of a strategically crucial naval base being developed with Chinese aid.</p>.<p>The <em>Wall Street Journal</em> reported last year on a secret draft deal allowing China to dock warships at the Ream naval base near the kingdom's coastal city of Sihanoukville.</p>.<p>But Cambodia -- awash in recent years with Chinese investments -- has strenuously denied the report, although strongman premier Hun Sen has said aid from Beijing will fund the naval base's development.</p>.<p>Satellite images released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies this week showed a US-funded facility on Ream's naval base had been demolished, raising questions "about rumoured Chinese access", said the Washington-based think tank.</p>.<p>But Tea Banh, Cambodia's deputy prime minister and defence minister, dismissed concerns Sunday.</p>.<p>"We relocated the facility to a new spot. We cannot keep it anymore and the building is already old," he told AFP, confirming that it was knocked down last month.</p>.<p>The Tactical Headquarters of the National Committee for Maritime Security was inaugurated in 2012.</p>.<p>It will be "far better" in its new location, Tea Banh said, adding that Cambodia used "only a small assistance" from the US for the now-demolished building.</p>.<p>The new facility is currently under construction about 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Ream.</p>.<p>The Ream base has generated scrutiny for its strategic location in the Gulf of Thailand, which would provide ready access to the fiercely contested South China Sea -- a key global shipping route.</p>.<p>Beijing claims the majority of the resource-rich sea, vying with six other countries.</p>.<p>Hun Sen has repeatedly insisted Cambodia's constitution forbids any foreign military base within its borders.</p>.<p>Analysts say the wily premier is deeply attuned to the potential for an anti-China backlash from the public -- especially in Sihanoukville, where businesses and casinos are largely now Chinese-owned.</p>.<p>One of the world's longest-serving leaders, Hun Sen has in recent years tilted away from the US due to Washington's criticism of his government's alleged abuses.</p>.<p>On Saturday night, he issued a public letter wishing US President Donald Trump a "speedy recovery" from the coronavirus.</p>
<p>Cambodia has razed a US-funded defence facility on its southern coast, the deputy prime minister confirmed Sunday, the latest move in the ongoing controversial expansion of a strategically crucial naval base being developed with Chinese aid.</p>.<p>The <em>Wall Street Journal</em> reported last year on a secret draft deal allowing China to dock warships at the Ream naval base near the kingdom's coastal city of Sihanoukville.</p>.<p>But Cambodia -- awash in recent years with Chinese investments -- has strenuously denied the report, although strongman premier Hun Sen has said aid from Beijing will fund the naval base's development.</p>.<p>Satellite images released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies this week showed a US-funded facility on Ream's naval base had been demolished, raising questions "about rumoured Chinese access", said the Washington-based think tank.</p>.<p>But Tea Banh, Cambodia's deputy prime minister and defence minister, dismissed concerns Sunday.</p>.<p>"We relocated the facility to a new spot. We cannot keep it anymore and the building is already old," he told AFP, confirming that it was knocked down last month.</p>.<p>The Tactical Headquarters of the National Committee for Maritime Security was inaugurated in 2012.</p>.<p>It will be "far better" in its new location, Tea Banh said, adding that Cambodia used "only a small assistance" from the US for the now-demolished building.</p>.<p>The new facility is currently under construction about 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Ream.</p>.<p>The Ream base has generated scrutiny for its strategic location in the Gulf of Thailand, which would provide ready access to the fiercely contested South China Sea -- a key global shipping route.</p>.<p>Beijing claims the majority of the resource-rich sea, vying with six other countries.</p>.<p>Hun Sen has repeatedly insisted Cambodia's constitution forbids any foreign military base within its borders.</p>.<p>Analysts say the wily premier is deeply attuned to the potential for an anti-China backlash from the public -- especially in Sihanoukville, where businesses and casinos are largely now Chinese-owned.</p>.<p>One of the world's longest-serving leaders, Hun Sen has in recent years tilted away from the US due to Washington's criticism of his government's alleged abuses.</p>.<p>On Saturday night, he issued a public letter wishing US President Donald Trump a "speedy recovery" from the coronavirus.</p>