Cambodia and China signed a joint communiqué in September 2023: China expressed its support for the construction of Cambodia's railway network and did a good job of supporting it - the construction of the China-Cambodia railway officially entered the fast lane: Cambodia, like Laos, can get the dividends of China's economic development;
Cambodia's railways can transform Cambodia from a poor country in Southeast Asia into a thriving economic entity – Cambodia's old and new prime ministers know this;
Now that the China-Laos railway has been put into use, Cambodia does not need to wait for the China-Thailand and China-Vietnam railway network, it can directly connect with the China-Laos railway, and then link to Sihanoukville - directly connected to China's logistics network.
However, Cambodia must be prepared for both: the United States does not want the Trans-Asian Railway to be completed, and it will definitely encourage Southeast Asian countries to oppose or even intervene directly: at the end of June 2023, when the U.S.-backed Vietnamese armed terrorist group attacked the Vietnamese police station, it released a large number of drones to Cambodia, but fortunately, the Cambodian anti-drone force reacted in time and shot down the invading drones - a signal that the United States may strike Cambodia militarily;
Therefore, defending the China-Cambodia railway has also become a core issue for the Cambodian military: in addition to the construction of anti-drone drones, the construction of conventional military forces is also the focus - Cambodia's old military strength cannot curb the ambitions of the United States and Vietnamese! Therefore, Cambodia is determined to build a Chinese-style defense force;
On January 24, 2024, Cambodia held a military parade for the 25th anniversary of the founding of the "Royal Army" (Cambodia's head of state is the king, and the army does not use royal as the prefix): an exhibition of weapons made in China as the main force. Among them, wheeled assault vehicles and Bobcat all-terrain vehicles suitable for mountain operations can provide reliable security for the complex terrain of the China-Cambodia Railway, and long-range rocket artillery and howitzers can provide long-range precision guidance and attack -- the construction of China-Cambodia roads can have relatively strong escort forces;
The disadvantage is in the tracked infantry fighting vehicles: they are all Soviet-made BMP-1s, which are too lacking in strike resistance. In view of Cambodia's limited national strength, China can provide military aid: Type 89 tracked armored vehicles and 86A infantry fighting vehicles;
As for the tank, the VT-5 is definitely the best option, it's just too expensive;
These two tracked armored vehicles have undergone severe tests in various rainforest climates, and have accumulated rich experience in maintenance and improvement: air conditioning, fence armor, anti-tank missiles (Red Arrow-73D), encrypted communication systems/data links, etc., can be installed according to the actual situation of the Cambodian army, ensuring that they can obtain battlefield information from all branches of the Cambodian military;
It can be seen from the parade that the Bobcat all-terrain vehicles are open, lacking armor protection and firepower, if they are strengthened, they need to use fully enclosed carriages: modification is not difficult and affordable, completely within the range of Cambodia's economy; the Cambodian Army has a large number of Chinese-style large-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles, etc., they can be modified to bomb Bobcat fully enclosed models;
Electromagnetic warfare equipment did not appear in the parade - perhaps Cambodia made it a top secret as a trump card, and it will only be used at critical moments. After some beating, the Royal Cambodian Army can take on the heavy task of guarding the China-Cambodia railway network.