PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has requested the Chinese government to support the Funan Techo Canal project, which will benefit the Cambodian people and nation.

The request was made by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Supreme Privy Council to His Majesty the King, in a meeting with H.E. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of Chinese National People’s Congress, in China’s Hainan province on Mar. 28, on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen recalled the long-lasting relations between Cambodia and China and thanked the Chinese side for always paying attention to the health of Their Majesties the King and Queen-Mother of Cambodia.

For his part, H.E. Zhao Leji reaffirmed China’s commitment to promote the cooperation with Cambodian within the framework of Belt and Road and Diamond Cooperation, encourage more Chinese investors to invest in Cambodia in many areas such as infrastructure, tourism, etc., and cooperate in cracking down on cybercrimes.

He also confirmed that the Chinese side will continue to pay attention to the health of the Cambodian monarchs.

Funan Techo Canal project is the first historic project in Cambodia’s waterway transport sector to connect the Mekong River system and the sea.

According to the project’s feasibility study, the US$1.7 billion Funan Techo Canal project, which will be broken ground for construction at the end of 2024, is 180 kilometres long and 100 metres wide upstream and 80 metres downstream with two navigation lanes. The construction would take around four years to complete and cost some US$1.7 billion

The canal will link Prek Takeo of Mekong River to the sea in Kep province crossing four provinces: Kandal, Takeo, Kampot and Kep with a total of 1.6 million people living on either side of the waterway.