Abstract
Cambodia is one of the most enthusiastic backers of China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI) and maintains very close bonds with its northern neighbor. The MSRI has something to do with the latter given it can advance Cambodia’s quest to grow and become a more skills-based economy connected with global value chains. Still, the warm relationship is not just based on the MSRI or Cambodia’s economic ties with China. Phnom Penh’s very positive stance towards Beijing also has to do with the help it gives the regime in fending off pressures. The longer-term political implications of the MSRI will depend upon how well Cambodia manages associated issues, if MSRI projects ensnare Cambodia in a “debt trap,” and the extent to which Cambodian sovereignty anxieties intensify.
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The authors thank the editor for his feedback and editorial work and also express their appreciation to Xu Jing for her assistance in conforming this chapter to publisher style requirements.
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Heng, P., Chheang, V. (2019). The Political Economy of China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative in Cambodia. In: Blanchard, JM. (eds) China's Maritime Silk Road Initiative and Southeast Asia. Palgrave Studies in Asia-Pacific Political Economy. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9275-8_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9275-8_6
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