Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Cambodia and China have signed a $ 1.2 billion agreement to finance an ambitious channel project that aims to boost commercial efficiency by linking a Mekong river branch near Phnom Penh with a port in the Gulf of Thailand, the Cambodian government agency directs the project announced on Friday.
The agreement to finance the Funan Ceiling channel was signed on Thursday during the state visit to China Cambodia. President Xi JinpingThe agency said in a press release. Xi returned home on Friday after a tour of Southeast Asia of three nations that also included Vietnam and Malaysia.
The construction of the 151.6 kilometers (94 miles) channel began last year, but stopped shortly after August 5. Inauguration ceremony for reasons that were not clear. The Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Manet, said at that time that the channel “regardless of the cost” will be built, emphasizing that the project promotes “national prestige, territorial integrity and the development of Cambodia”.
Described as a public-private partnership contract, the agreement was signed by the Vice Prime Minister Sun Chanthol on behalf of the Cambodian government, and by Iieng Sunly of the Funan Coastal-Inland Waterways roof Company Ltd., the private sector partner. The project is being developed in a constructed manner-transfer transference, with Cambodian investors with a 51%participation, and Chinese investors have 49%.
“The channel will create a new maritime corridor of navigable roads inside capable of handling vessels up to 3,000 tons of dead weight,” according to Friday’s announcement. It will cover the excavation of the channel and the construction of ship locks, navigation and infrastructure.
“As an interior river route and important transport infrastructure in Cambodia, the FTC project will become a new engine that drives national economic growth,” said Wang Tongzhou, president of China Communications Construction Company, in the announcement. He added that “after the completion, it will significantly reduce comprehensive logistics costs in Cambodia and promote the Cambodian industry to the middle to high end of the value chain.”
China Communications Construction Company is the parent company of China Road and Bridge Corporation, the project construction contractor from the Bassac River to the coastal province of KEP. The mass state company has faced scrutiny for its alleged participation in financial scandals. It is also on the blacklist for the United States for its role in helping Chinese military construction and militarize artificial islands In the South China Sea.
According to Friday’s announcement, the channel is expected to believe “up to 50,000 direct and indirect jobs in Cambodia.”
Critics have expressed concern that the channel The Rive Mekong could severely interrupt The natural flooding patterns of R. These interruptions could lead to a worsening of droughts and a reduction in the slime rich in nutrients essential for the production of vital rice of Vietnam in the Delta del Mekong, a region that supports millions and is an important world exporter of rice.
However, the signature announcement declared that “a rigorous environmental impact assessment, made by 48 specialists, confirmed a minimum environmental impact.”
He added that the Cambodian government has led efforts to minimize resettlement “with a route designed to avoid dense communities and cultural sites” and that “a responsible consultation and consultation process is underway.”
