柬埔寨受中國資助的運河破土動工，並表示將「不惜一切代價」建造該運河 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Cambodia breaks ground on China-funded canal and says it will be built 'no matter the cost' (2/2)

Sopheng Cheang And Aniruddha Ghosal

Sun, August 4, 2024 at 11:45 p.m. PDT·4 min read

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The canal will promote “national prestige, the territorial integrity and the development of Cambodia,” Manet said, adding that the country had built bigger and more expensive infrastructure projects before. But this “historic” canal was different and had nationwide support, he said.

“We will build this canal, no matter the cost,” he said.

He emphasized that while the canal would be jointly built by Chinese and Cambodian companies, the latter would have a 51% majority share and thus maintain control. Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol confirmed that the Chinese state-owned construction giant China Road and Bridge Corporation had landed the contract to build the canal.

The U.S.-based nonprofit Stimson Center has warned that the canal would cause “significant transboundary impacts to water availability and agricultural production in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.” The region is where 90% of rice exported from Vietnam is grown.

The Cambodian government has dismissed these concerns.

Earlier in April, Vietnam had asked Cambodia to share information about the canal. “We have asked Cambodia to collaborate closely with Vietnam and the Mekong River Commission in sharing information and assessing the project’s impacts on water resources and ecosystem in the Mekong Delta region."

Cambodia is a key Chinese diplomatic partner, helping dampen criticism of Beijing within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, several of whose members, including Vietnam, are engaged in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

China's outsized presence can be seen in the numerous Chinese-funded projects, hotels and casinos dotting the Cambodian landscape. China’s state banks have financed airports, roads and other infrastructure built with Chinese loans. Nearly 40% of Cambodia’s over $11 billion in foreign debt is owed to China.

In June 2022, China and Cambodia broke ground on a naval port expansion project that has raised concerns from the U.S. and others that it could give Beijing a strategically important military outpost on the Gulf of Thailand. Hun Sen in 2019 reportedly granted China the right to set up a military base at the Ream Naval Base. He has long denied that, saying Cambodia’s Constitution prohibits foreign military facilities.

Translation

（繼續）

馬奈表示，這條運河將提升“柬埔寨的國家威望、領土完整和發展”，並補充說該國此前曾建造過規模更大、成本更高的基礎設施項目。但他說，這條「歷史性」運河與眾不同，並得到了全國的支持。

他說:「我們將不惜一切代價建造這條運河」。

他強調，雖然該運河將由中國和柬埔寨公司共同建設，但後者將擁有51%的多數股權，以維持控制權。副總理Sun Chanthol證實，中國國營建築巨頭中國路橋公司已獲得建造該運河的合約。

總部位於美國的非營利組織Stimson Center警告說，這條運河將「對越南湄公河三角洲的水資源供應和農業生產造成重大跨境影響」。越南出口的米90%產自該地區。

柬埔寨政府駁回了這些擔憂。

四月初，越南曾要求柬埔寨分享有關運河的資訊。 “我們已要求柬埔寨與越南和湄公河委員會密切合作，分享資訊並評估該項目對湄公河三角洲地區水資源和生態系統的影響。”

柬埔寨是中國的重要外交夥伴，有助於挫減東南亞國家聯盟十個成員國對北京的批評，包括越南在內的多個成員國與中國在南海存在領土爭端。

中國特大的影響力可以從遍布柬埔寨的眾多中資項目、酒店和賭場中看出。中國國有銀行為用使中國貸款去建造的機場、道路和其他基礎設施提供了資金。柬埔寨超過110億美元的外債中近40%是欠中國的。

2022 年 6 月，中國和柬埔寨一 起為一個軍港擴建計劃破土動工，該計劃引起了美國和其他國家的擔憂，擔心該計劃可能會讓北京在泰國灣擁有一個具有重要戰略意義的軍事前哨基地。據報道，洪森於2019年授予中國在雲朗海軍基地建立軍事基地的權利。他長期以來一直否認這一點，並稱柬埔寨憲法禁止外國軍事設施。

              So, Cambodia despite environmental concerns and the risk of straining ties with neighboring Vietnam will build the Funan Techo canal that connects the capital to the country’s south coast, giving it access to the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia hopes that the canal will lower the cost of shipping goods to the country's sole deep-sea port, Sihanoukville, and reduce reliance on Vietnamese ports. I am wondering how far this canal will affect Vietnam environmentally and economically.