PHNOM PENH/HANOI –
Cambodia plans to cut shipping through Vietnamese ports by 70% as a result of a Chinese-funded $1.7 billion upgrade of a canal connecting the Mekong River basin to the Cambodian coast, the country’s deputy prime minister said country.
Sun Chanthol downplayed environmental concerns about the Funan Techo Canal set to gain ground later this year, dismissing speculation that it could be used to allow Chinese warships upstream access as “baseless.”
The project, due for completion in 2028, has the potential to reignite tensions between Cambodia and Vietnam, which are close partners but have often clashed.
