TAKEO, Cambodia, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Horn Duongchan Kanika, a 12th-grade student at a high school in Cambodia's southwestern Doun Keo City, listened intently on Tuesday as Chinese experts gave a lecture on the Funan Techo Canal, a mega-project jointly invested by Cambodian and Chinese companies.
The project with a length of 172.6 km stretches from the Mekong River's Preak Takeo tributary in southern Kandal province to the sea in southwestern Kep province, traversing Takeo and Kampot provinces.
Kanika, who is an 18-year-old student at the Norodom Sihanouk-Norodom Monineath Sihahouk Tom High School, said the presentation gave her deeper insight into the project, which is expected to yield immense benefits for Cambodia's economic growth and tourism.
"I think the Funan Techo Canal will streamline Cambodian trade by slashing shipping times and boosting import-export activities," she told Xinhua.
She said she really supported the project as it would bring further progress to the Southeast Asian country.
"I believe that this Funan Techo Canal will not only boost national development, but also improve local livelihoods," Kanika said. "I'm very grateful to China for its steadfast support of Cambodia's development. This strong partnership will endure for generations to come."
Kanika is among hundreds of teachers and students attending the lecture, which detailed the project and its potential to boost the kingdom's economic growth.
The construction of the Funan Techo Integrated Water Resources Management project has been divided into two sections. Section I, with a length of 21 km, broke ground in August 2024, and Section II, with a length of 151.6 km, launched construction in April 2026.
Once both sections are completed in 2028, the project will be the kingdom's first inland waterway connecting the Mekong River system to the sea.
A total population of 1.6 million living on both sides of the waterway will directly benefit from this project.
Hun Sophal, another 12th-grade student at the Norodom Sihanouk-Norodom Monineath Sihahouk Tom High School, said the canal will give a big boost to national growth, modernizing waterway transport and fueling a surge in agriculture and industry, among others.
Sophal said the project will make the Cambodia-China friendship even stronger from one generation to another.
Pich Pann, principal of the Norodom Sihanouk-Norodom Monineath Sihahouk Tom High School, is confident that the canal will boost the economy and uplift local residents.
"The Funan Techo Canal will provide benefits to all people in Cambodia, improving waterway transport significantly and reducing shipping costs," he said. "Through this project, it's expected that tourism will experience stronger growth."
Pann said the project has injected fresh impetus into the relationship between Cambodia and China.
"This massive canal project will be a game-changer for Cambodia's economy and transport sector, as it will allow for direct shipments from the capital Phnom Penh to Cambodia's own coastal ports in Kampot, Kep and Preah Sihanouk provinces," he told Xinhua.
"By cutting out transit fees and simplifying the route, the canal will significantly reduce delivery time, distance, and domestic shipping costs," he added. ■
