China in Cambodia: controversial, eco-unfriendly dam on the Se San River

The Lower Sesan 2 Dam being built by China in Cambodia
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The Push and Pull of China's Orbit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/world/2015/09/05/the-push-and-pull-of-chinas-orbit/

Building the Lower Sesan 2 Dam in Cambodia is one example of how China is acting as a new alternative to the West for development funding. China is providing countless quick-fix infrastructure projects, often of substandard quality, to needy, underdeveloped countries which until recently have relied only on the West for aid, hoping to draw these countries into the Chinese sphere for the future.

Geography professor Ian Baird, who is quoted in the article above, on his blog calls the Lower Sesan 2 Dam a "disaster in the making."
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2014/08/09/cambodias-ls2-dam-is-a-disaster-in-the-making/

As a reservoir dam, the new dam will block fish migrations and also the flow of river nutrients that feed fish. In Cambodia, fish provide upwards of 70% of dietary protein.

Generally, dams built upstream have much less impact on fish stocks than those downstream because many fish live only in downstream areas. The Lower Sesan 2 Dam is

The Sesan Dam has already displaced thousands of people who received inadequate new housing.

So what's the alternative? Watch the following excellent 15 minute video which explains clearly  why dams cause a trade off between cheap electricity and food security in Cambodia:

Hydropower in Cambodia: Impacts and Alternatives - Conservation International
http://cambodiahydropower.weebly.com/

The article above mentions the poor quality of a road and bridge built by China in Cambodia in the past:

"While many Cambodians complain that Chinese roads are poorly built and prone to potholes, they serve a purpose. Two decades ago, the journey from Phnom Penh to the northeastern town of Stung Treng took four days: now, thanks to a Chinese road, it takes about seven hours.
'There is a bridge here, and a road now, and they are two very important things,” said Dy Polen, a restaurant owner. “Yes, the bridge is cracking, and I do care about quality, but it is better than before.'”

Last year I saw China building major highways in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyan workers complained about the poor tools they were given, poor use of the skilled Kenyans working there, and poor pay. China is also building a "New East African Railway" system to connect the long-disconnected countries of East Africa... and facilitate the transport of resources to the Indian Ocean where they can be shipped to China.
For China in Africa see China's Second Continent by Howard French

For China in Asia see China's "String of Pearls" and "Silk Road" plans