A US Navy ship will make its first port call in 8 years in Cambodia, a close ally of China

Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A U.S. Navy warship will make a port call next week in Cambodia, China’s close ally in Southeast Asia, the first such visit in eight years. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said on Friday that USS Savannah will dock at the port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand between Monday and Friday. The ministry says the ship carries a crew of 103. It added that the U.S. had requested the port call. The ministry also said the visit would “strengthen and expand the bonds of friendship as well as promote bilateral cooperation” between the two nations. The U.S. hasn’t announced the visit.