Two Chinese, one Australian warship dock at Sihanoukville

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (Oct. 10, 2025) — Two vessels from China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy and one Australian naval ship arrived at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port at approximately 10 a.m. Thursday.

Dam Dariny, secretary of state, said the first ship, Qi Jiguang (PLANS 83), is a training vessel under the command of Capt. Feng Liang. The ship has a reported displacement of 9,000 tons, a length of 165.3 meters, a beam of 22.2 meters, a draft of 6.6 meters and a top speed of 22 knots.

The second vessel, Yimeng Shan (PLANS 988), is an amphibious landing ship commanded by Capt. Niu Zhiyong. It is identified as a Type 071 landing platform dock, a class capable of carrying troops, vehicles and helicopters.

Dariny added that the Royal Australian Navy warship HMAS Ballarat also docked at the port and will remain from Oct. 10 to 13 to strengthen cooperation between the Cambodian and Australian navies.

She emphasized that the arrival of the ships aims to reinforce solidarity and cooperation with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

Cambodian authorities have not yet released further details on the purpose, duration or schedule of engagements. Observers are watching closely to see whether the visit includes joint drills, port calls or public diplomacy events.