Thailand’s Land Bridge: Navigating Geopolitical and Investor Concerns

• Thailand’s land bridge project aims to establish a vital trade route between the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, offering an alternative to the congested Malacca Strait. • Securing private sector involvement will be challenging, due to investor concerns about the project’s financial viability. • The land bridge project also places Thailand at the centre of strategic rivalry between China, India, and Western powers. Careful navigation is required to maintain balanced relations and avoid over-reliance on any single country. • To avoid dependence on China, Thailand is pursuing investments from Saudi Arabia and other partners. • Thailand must also contend with significant upgrades in Singapore’s Tuas Port and Malaysia’s Port Klang, which challenge the land bridge’s ability to dominate regional shipping traffic. • Nevertheless, Thailand could pursue more cost-effective options to improve existing port and overland infrastructure and boost competitiveness.