Cambodia on Monday broke ground to build a controversial, China-funded canal to link the capital Phnom Penh to the sea despite environmental concerns and the risk of straining ties with neighboring Vietnam. The $1.7 billion, 180-kilometer Funan Techo canal will connect the country’s capital with Kep province on the country's south coast. Cambodia hopes that this will lower the cost of shipping goods to its only deep-sea port of Sihanoukville and reduce reliance on Vietnamese ports. State-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation will build the canal with Cambodian companies. Concerns remain about the potential environmental impacts to the Mekong river.
