Cambodia says Xi supports controversial canal, but China’s silence keeps questions flowing

Former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen thanked Xi Jinping for backing Funan Techo Canal when they met this week

Reading Time:3 minutes

People gathered in August for the official groundbreaking of the Funan Techo Canal in Cambodia. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:30pm, 5 Dec 2024

The veil of uncertainty surrounding a massive canal project in Cambodia was lifted ever so slightly this week – while also fuelling fresh speculation – as the Southeast Asian nation’s former prime minister, Hun Sen, wrapped up a three-day visit to China.

In a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday, the Cambodian government said Hun Sen “expressed his gratitude” to President Xi Jinping for “supporting the Funan Techo Canal project” when they met on Tuesday.

“This project allows Cambodia to be independent in the water-transport sector and provides significant economic benefits,” the statement said, without providing further details.

After breaking ground in August with a high-profile ceremony on the 72nd birthday of Hun Sen – the longest-serving head of government in Cambodia’s history – the US$1.7 billion waterway’s progress became shrouded in doubt last month when Reuters reported that Beijing had expressed misgivings about the project and had not made definitive commitments to its funding.

In Beijing’s statement following Xi and Hun Sen’s meeting, however, the canal was not mentioned, let alone Xi’s support for it. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately reply to a faxed query from the Post.

The Chinese statement said “the two sides must firmly support each other and consolidate their ironclad friendship”.