Cambodia's new canal project will encourage economic development and connectivity in the country while substantially reducing its dependence on Vietnam, which will stoke national security concerns in Hanoi, while contributing to China's broader geopolitical goal of constructing a global network of friendly ports. On May 7, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chantol confirmed that construction of the country's Funan Techo canal will begin sometime in 2024, with a target completion date of 2028. The planned canal will span 18 kilometers (around 11 miles), connecting the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, a river port in the capital, to Kep province on the Gulf of Thailand. Envisioned to be 100 meters wide and up to 5.4 meters deep, it will accommodate vessels weighing up to 3,000 deadweight tons. A Chinese state-owned company, China Road and Bridge Corp., will oversee the development, administration and operation of the $1.7 billion project under Beijing's Belt and...
