Cambodia, which is located between Thailand and Vietnam and has a 440-kilometer coastal zone which is separated from the rest of the country by a mountain ridge, is in need of a “third neighbor” in order to survive economically and politically, and for improving its export opportunities.
Phnom Penh’s hopes for partnership with the United States fell through. After Washington passed the Cambodia Democracy Act in 2018 in support of the Cambodian opposition, it became clear that the US was ready to use legal instruments against Pnomh Penh to pursue its interests in the region.
In full: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2019/05/16/indo-china-integration-meets-cambodias-interests/
