Can the Funan Techo Canal allow Chinese military ships to enter?

Concerns about the super Funan Techo canal project for Vietnam are spreading to military capabilities, in addition to environmental impacts that have not been adequately responded to by Cambodia.

The possibility of the Funan Techo project serving both civil and military services was recently mentioned in the article Funan Techo canal project: benefits and consequences by two authors Nguyen Dinh Thien and Hoang Thanh Minh in Phuong Dong Magazine issue 63 March 2024.

The article states: “Many military experts pose the possibility that when the sluice gates on the Funan Techo Canal are closed, it will create the necessary depth, enough for military ships to travel from the Gulf of Thailand, or from the Ream base, deep into the interior. Cambodia and approaching the country’s border.“

The article published in the magazine of the Oriental Development Research Institute under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations did not specifically state which experts made the above comments.

Former Prime Minister Hun Sen responded harshly to this comment. His son, Prime Minister Hun Manet, also assured that the Funan Techo canal was too shallow and warships could not travel, according to Khmer Times reported on April 11.

The depth of the Funan Techo canal is 5.4 meters.

BBC News Vietnamese spoke with two military experts who worked in the US Navy about the possibility of Chinese military ships moving into the Funan Techo Canal.

Mr. Thomas H. Shugart III, a former US Navy officer and senior researcher from the Center for a New American Security, said that technically, the depth of the river is 5.4 meters. The Funan Techo channel is sufficient for China’s small warships, such as the Type corvette 056A and frigate Type 054A.

“However, in my opinion, this is not a military capability worth pursuing. Such a type of ship would be severely limited in its flexibility on the narrow river, and in the event of a conflict, it would become become a relatively easy target.”

“In my opinion, a more reasonable possibility is to use the canal to send infantry units inland, spread troops and camouflage forces.”

“Normally, naval operations on rivers are basically limited to small vessels such as patrol boats and riverine forces.”

“This means that the canal could give China the ability to transfer ground forces, ammunition and other military equipment on a large scale to the capital Phnom Penh, avoiding restrictions from Cambodia’s road system,” researcher Thomas H. Shugart III added.

From the United States, Colonel Carl Schuster also commented on the types of Chinese military ships that can move in the Funan Techo Canal with BBC News Vietnamese.

Mr. Carl Schuster has served 25 years in the US Navy. He worked on warships and since 1980 moved to the field of naval intelligence, including the role of an operations analyst for the Chinese Navy.

The last position he held before leaving the military in 1999 was head of the Operations Department of the Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center.

“All major warships of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have a minimum draft of 6 meters. However, there may be ships with a draft of less than 5.4 meters. It should be noted that Draft increases in fresh water compared to salt water,” Colonel Carl Schuster told BBC News Vietnamese.

The draft of a ship is the vertical height calculated from the bottom of the ship to the water surface.

He also listed a list of Chinese military ships with a draft of less than 5.4 meters that can move into the Funan Techo Canal, with reference from the warship handbook. Janes Fighting Ships 23/24 Year Book.

Colonel Carl Schuster noted that the draft listed in the list applies to salt water.

“This canal is freshwater, which means the draft will increase by about 10% and force any type of ship with a displacement (about 4.5 meters) to have to remove tons of cargo weight before entering. Canal.”

“It should be noted that the deepest point of the ship’s bottom must be at least 0.3 meters from the bottom of the waterway through which it circulates. Normally, captains will prioritize leaving that gap at least 1 meter. The ship’s thrust will be reduced and the cooling system will suck mud from the bottom of the canal when this distance is less than 2 meters,” he told the BBC.

Meanwhile, Mr. Thong Mengdavid, a geopolitical researcher at the Institute of International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP) from the Royal University of Phnom Penh, responded on Khmer Times The development of the Funan Techo Canal is entirely an internal matter and sovereignty of Cambodia.

He also criticized the article detailing the dual-use capabilities (for both civil and military use) of Funan Techo by authors Nguyen Dinh Thien and Hoang Thanh Minh.

“Such accusations are baseless and unrealistic, as Cambodia always adheres to the principle of neutrality and non-interference, prohibiting the presence of foreign troops or military bases within its territory. ,” this man said.

Mr. Thong Mengdavid also said that Cambodian policymakers also consider movements in the region, diplomatic relationships with other countries, and geopolitical tensions in the region, specifically the confrontation. US-China and the East Sea issue.

Article 53 of the Cambodian Constitution prohibits allowing foreign countries to establish military bases on Cambodian territory.

Article 55 of the Constitution states that there shall be no treaties and agreements that do not guarantee the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, neutrality and national unity of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

From February until now, BBC News Vietnamese has discussed with many Vietnamese experts and the Mekong River Commission (MRC).

All emphasized that Cambodia needed to provide more documents so they could fully assess the impact of this historic project, specifically a project feasibility study.

Article by Khmer Times On April 19, Mr. So Naro, Cambodia’s Prime Minister’s Representative in charge of ASEAN affairs, said that Cambodia “has no legal obligation to submit any documents” to the Vietnamese government regarding research and Construction of the Funan Techo canal.

Mr. So Naro added that, in theory, Cambodia “has no obligation to seek permission or consultation from any state or non-state entity, as well as other countries in the region for such activities.” construction works on tributaries located within its territory.

He also recalled that during his visit to Vietnam in December 2023, Prime Minister Hun Manet informed and explained to the Vietnamese Prime Minister.

Mr. So Naro once again emphasized Cambodia’s independence and called any attack on this project “ridiculous”.

Mr. So Naro said that “if we build a dam on the Mekong River, it will be complicated, but that is not the case.”

And Mr. Kin Phea, General Director of the Institute of International Relations of Cambodia, replied on Khmer Times:

“Not any [tài liệu nào] Cambodia must also pay it to Vietnam, because Vietnam is not the only country that owns the Mekong River.”

Cambodia seems to be mobilizing support from countries in the region for this mega project, and the latest is “brothers and comrades” with Vietnam.

Mr. Hun Sen, President of the Cambodian Senate, called on Laos to support the mega Funan Techo canal project, on the occasion of the two-day visit (April 23 and 24) of Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith to the capital Phnom Penh, follow Khmer Times.

The potential impact of the Funan Techo Canal on the flow of the Mekong River, thereby affecting the livelihoods of more than 21 million people in the Mekong Delta, is increasingly attracting public and professional attention. participating in Vietnam.

As for the Vietnamese government, the latest official response was on April 11. Mr. Doan Khac Viet, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, spoke to the press: “Vietnam is very interested in the Funan Techo channel project.”

The Vietnam Mekong River Commission organized a national consultation meeting on Cambodia’s Funan Techo canal in Can Tho city on April 23 with the participation of Mekong River experts.

The Mekong Delta is the last downstream region of the Mekong River.

The Mekong River, after passing through Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, splits into two branches, Bassac River (Hau River) and Trans-Bassac River (Fore River), then flows into Vietnam before emptying into the East Sea.

In the draft assessment report on the Phu Nam Techo project presented on April 23, Dr. Le Anh Tuan, Senior Lecturer, Scientific Advisor to the Climate Change Research Institute of Can Tho University, made calculations: In the dry season, after the Funan Techo canal is installed, “the water on the Tien and Hau rivers, two distributaries of the Mekong River reaching the Mekong Delta will decrease by more than 50%”.

“In dry years like 2026 or 2024, the shortage will become more severe. This is something worth thinking about for the future of the river’s flow after the dry season, but cannot be considered insignificant. Certainly with water levels A decline according to this estimate increases the possibility of deeper saltwater intrusion, which could affect more than half of the delta’s cultivated area in the future during the dry season and during high tide periods.”

In the report, Dr. Le Anh Tuan also noted that the current assessments given are only more directional than quantitative, for the following reasons:

“The data provided is very limited and the information is vague. The records do not contain a report on the expected operating procedures of the economic system, while there are unnecessary detailed technical drawings compared to the information provided. basic information about water resources, there is no environmental impact assessment report, the report sent to the MRC only mentions the canal’s function as a waterway or navigation canal, without confirming other functions of the river. Does the canal serve irrigation for agricultural production, water for domestic use and supply for industrial production activities and at what level of exploitation?[…]”.

Up to now, Cambodia is still determined to break ground on the project in the fourth quarter of this year for the development of the national economy.