U.S. Warship Pulls Up Beside China

American flag overlaying warship at sunset.

A U.S. Navy ship tying up just 150 meters from a Chinese warship at a China-renovated Cambodian base delivered a blunt reminder that Beijing doesn’t get to declare parts of the Indo-Pacific “off limits.”

Story Snapshot

USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) made a temporary port visit to Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base on Jan. 24, 2026, the first such call since major China-backed upgrades were completed in April 2025.
The U.S. ship docked roughly 150 meters from a Chinese vessel already at the base, an unusually direct visual of competing influence in Southeast Asia.
The U.S. Navy framed the stop as practical cooperation—tours, expert exchanges, and meetings—under a “free and open Indo-Pacific” message.
Cambodian officials have repeatedly insisted Ream is not an exclusive Chinese outpost, even as China’s footprint there remains significant.

USS Cincinnati Arrives at Ream With China Within Eyeshot

USS Cincinnati, an Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship commissioned in 2019, arrived at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base on January 24, 2026 for a temporary port visit. Reporting across outlets converged on the same striking detail: the U.S. ship docked about 150 meters from a Chinese warship already alongside. The visit included ship tours, professional exchanges, and meetings with Cambodian leaders, and no incidents were reported during the stop.

The moment matters because proximity is the point. A U.S. Navy ship pulling in next to a Chinese vessel at a Chinese-funded, expanded base sends a message that access and relationships in the region are still contested—and not decided by Beijing’s construction contracts. The Navy’s public messaging emphasized partnership and continued collaboration, projecting steadiness rather than escalation, while still putting an American hull where China’s presence has been growing.

Why Ream Became a Flashpoint After China’s 2025 Expansion

Ream sits on Cambodia’s southern coast along the Gulf of Thailand, a strategic position with routes leading toward contested South China Sea waters. China funded major upgrades beginning years earlier and completed renovations in April 2025, including a 300-meter deepwater pier and a 5,000-tonne dry dock, along with a joint China-Cambodia logistics and training center opened by Prime Minister Hun Manet. Those upgrades intensified concerns that Ream could function as a de facto Chinese military outpost.

Those concerns didn’t appear in a vacuum. Reports cite Chinese navy corvettes—described as gifts to Cambodia—stationed at Ream in rotating pairs since late 2023, and U.S. officials have watched the project closely amid longstanding rumors of a long-term Chinese access arrangement that Cambodia has denied. Cambodia also has a history with U.S. naval visits, with dozens of port calls since 2003, even as Phnom Penh’s alignment with China cooled relations in recent years.

Cambodia’s Balancing Act: Sovereignty Claims vs. Dependence Signals

Cambodian leaders have insisted the base remains under Cambodian sovereignty and is open to international partners, not reserved for one power. The side-by-side docking of U.S. and Chinese ships helps Phnom Penh argue exactly that. At the same time, the infrastructure reality is hard to ignore: China financed and helped build the expanded facilities, and Chinese naval assets have been present. That mix gives Cambodia a political talking point while leaving outsiders debating what “open” looks like in practice.

What the Port Call Signals for U.S. Strategy in Southeast Asia

For U.S. planners, the Ream visit fits a larger pattern of rebuilding access and relationships after a period of strain. In 2024, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Prime Minister Hun Manet, and the USS Savannah made a Cambodia-related port visit after more than eight years without a U.S. warship call, signaling renewed engagement. In January 2026, sending an LCS designed for shallow-water operations into the neighborhood reinforced a practical, regional posture rather than a distant, rhetorical one.

Experts quoted in reporting framed the move as a calculated signal aimed at undercutting the idea of “Chinese exclusivity” at Ream. The strongest factual takeaway is also the simplest: a U.S. warship was allowed in, conducted visible engagement, and departed without incident, despite China’s ongoing presence. The key limitation is what cannot be proven from an open port visit—whether access will become routine, or whether Chinese use will remain more persistent over time.

A U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship Docked at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base—Just 150 Meters From a Chinese Warshiphttps://t.co/Y8M4gsSUfm

— 19FortyFive (@19_forty_five) February 2, 2026

For Americans who believe in strength, sovereignty, and clear deterrence, this kind of tangible presence is easier to measure than years of speeches and “strategic dialogues.” The Constitution doesn’t require global policing, but it does demand leaders protect national interests, keep sea lanes open for commerce, and deter threats before they reach our shores. A U.S. ship docking at Ream—within 150 meters of China—doesn’t solve the region’s tensions, but it does show the U.S. is still willing to show up.