Cambodia says it will cut shipping through Vietnam by 70% with new China-funded Mekong canal

A group of fishermen boats are seen on the Mekong river in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb 19, 2021.PHNOM PENH/HANOI — Cambodia plans to cut shipping through Vietnamese ports by 70 per cent as a result of a US$1.7 billion China-funded upgrade of a canal connecting the Mekong River basin to the Cambodian coast, the country's deputy prime minister told Reuters.

Conservationists and Vietnamese authorities have voiced alarm at potential damage to the already fragile Mekong Delta, a massive rice-producing region supporting millions of people downstream in Vietnam. Cambodia had notified the Mekong River Commission , an intergovernmental organisation for the joint management of the basin, but would not consult other countries in the region about the project, he said.

A spokeswoman for Vietnam's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that she hoped Cambodia would share information and coordinate with Hanoi to assess the impact of the project.Currently, about 33 per cent of cargo to and from Cambodia use Vietnamese ports for their global trade by sending them through the Mekong River, Sun Chanthol said, noting that with the expanded canal the goal is to reduce that to 10 per cent — which would represent a 70 per cent drop on current shipping volumes.

"This project has a minimal impact on the environment," he also said, noting it would discharge up to 5 cubic metres of water per second, versus Mekong's 8,000 m3 per second. "The canal is the size of a straw," he stressed.

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Vietnam National Assembly chairman meets China's President Xi in BeijingHANOI — Vietnam National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday (April 8) and proposed more co-operation between the South China Sea rivals on trade and development projects, the Vietnamese government and state media said.
Source: asiaonecom - 🏆 10. / 59 Read more »

Cambodia to Proceed with Controversial $1.7 Billion Canal ProjectCambodia's Prime Minister announces plans to build a canal linking Phnom Penh to the sea, despite concerns about Chinese warships near Vietnam's coastline.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Hun Sen denies Cambodia canal project could facilitate Chinese military accessBringing Chinese troops into Cambodia is against the Constitution, ex-prime minister Hun Sen says.
Source: straits_times - 🏆 5. / 69 Read more »

Philippines denies deal with China over disputed South China Sea shoalThe Philippines denied a Chinese claim that the countries had reached an agreement.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

Philippines denies deal with China over disputed South China Sea shoalA spokesperson at China's embassy in Manila said on Apr 18 that the Philippines and China had agreed early this year to a "new model" in managing tensions at the Second Thomas Shoal, something Manila rejects.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

China hosts foreign naval officials amid South China Sea tensionsQINGDAO — The Chinese Navy on April 21 kicked off a biennial meeting of top foreign naval officials in the port city of Qingdao, in a show of military diplomacy that will be closely watched for signs of more engagement between China and the United States. The four-day event with delegations from 30 countries comes during heightened tensions in the.
Source: asiaonecom - 🏆 10. / 59 Read more »