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.
