Cambodia to start work on controversial canal in August: PM May 31, 2024

Boat on the Tonle Sap in Siĕmréab, Cambodia

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Cambodia to start work on controversial canal in August: PM

Cambodia will begin work on a controversial US$1.7 billion canal linking the capital Phnom Penh to the sea in August, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Thursday.

The Chinese-backed Funan Techo canal has sparked fears in neighboring Vietnam that it could be used by Chinese warships and reduce Cambodian dependence on Vietnamese ports.

Environmentalists are also concerned that the 180-kilometer canal could reduce the flow of water in the Mekong, one of the world's most biodiverse rivers.

Cambodia received billions from China in infrastructure investments as one of Beijing's closest regional allies during the rule of former leader Hun Sen.

Hun Manet, his son, said that the Funan Techo canal would be financed mostly by Cambodians and that the government is in talks with a Chinese company for more investment.

“We will do it now, we can't wait for anyone anymore,” Hun Manet said in a speech on Thursday.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who lives in exile, claimed that the project would serve China's interests.

The waterway is part of Beijing's massive Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure scheme across Asia, but Hun Manet insisted that it will only serve Cambodia.

“(We) will do this within Cambodian territory for the Cambodian people and the interest of Cambodia,” he said.

“We will have a ground-breaking ceremony in August.”

The canal - 100 meters wide and 5.4 meters deep - will link Phnom Penh to Cambodian ports on the Gulf of Thailand.

Cambodia and China also concluded their largest annual military exercises on Thursday, involving several Chinese warships and hundreds of Chinese military personnel.

In December, two Chinese warships made their first visit to a Cambodian naval base that the United States says could be used to increase China's influence in the Gulf of Thailand.

The Cambodian authorities have repeatedly denied that the base, near the port city of Sihanoukville, is used by any foreign power.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is due to visit Cambodia on Tuesday.

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