Cambodia’s plan to build a US$1.7 billion (S$2.3 billion) navigation canal linking the capital Phnom Penh’s port to the country’s coast has raised concerns in Vietnam about the larger Chinese military presence it could enable.
The 180km Funan Techo Canal project, which ends in the coastal Cambodian province of Kep near the Vietnam border, is expected to be developed by Chinese state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation under a build-operate-transfer arrangement.
This will allow the company to operate the canal for some 50 years in return for funding its construction. Work is expected to start in 2024 and end by 2028.
