Nicaragua cancels a controversial Chinese interoceanic canal concession after nearly a decade

Key Facts

After nearly a decade, Nicaragua's congress finally canceled on Wednesday a controversial canal concession granted to a Chinese businessman that critics said endangered the environment and threatened to displace rural communities.
Despite a symbolic "groundbreaking" in 2014, no work was done on the canal that was to link Nicaragua’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
After nearly a decade, Nicaragua’s congress has finally canceled a controversial canal concession granted to a Chinese businessman that critics said endangered the environment and threatened to displace rural communities.
The canal and its potential effect on the environment became a symbol of the odd and arbitrary nature of President Daniel Ortega's increasingly repressive regime.