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Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet broke ground Monday on a controversial, China-funded canal to link the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, to the sea, despite environmental concerns and the risk of straining ties with neighboring Vietnam.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet broke ground Monday on a controversial, China-funded canal to link the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, to the sea, despite environmental concerns and the risk of straining ties with neighboring Vietnam.
The €1.5 billion, 180-kilometer Funan Techo canal is planned to connect the country’s capital with Kep province on Cambodia’s south coast, giving it access to the Gulf of Thailand.
Cambodia hopes the 100-meter wide, 5.4-meter deep canal will lower the cost of shipping goods to the country”s sole deep-sea port, Sihanoukville, and reduce reliance on Vietnamese ports.
The government declared Monday a holiday so Cambodians could participate in the event.