China, described in the report as Cambodia’s ironclad friend, is building two new frigates for the Royal Cambodian Navy. One has completed assembly and sea trials, while the other is half assembled. Former Defence Minister Samdech Tea Banh wrote on his official Facebook page on the evening of October 3: “On September 20, 2025, I took the opportunity to inspect the first frigate, a Chinese military-aid project for Cambodia. It had been assembled and its technical trials went very well. I also observed that assembly of the second vessel was 50% complete.” The brief disclosure came after Tea Banh, a five-star general, completed a roughly two-week visit to China. He did not specify when China would deliver the new frigates to Cambodia.
Preah Sihanouk Provincial Television; by ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
