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Done to death in this other thread 3 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38991317

There was another nicaraguan canal project that was floated maybe 10 years ago and supposedly financed by the Chinese government. The government officials involved all ended up charged with an assortment of graft surrounding the project.

The idea for a canal through Nicaragua goes back to at least the 1880s, when agents for the bankrupt French canal company tried to lobby for the US Government to buy the remaining assets.

Source: https://www.amazon.com/Path-Between-Seas-Creation-1870-1914/... - it's one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. It covers engineering, geography, 19th century stock market investing, medical advances, and the birth of US state capacity to run projects. Highly recommended!

At the time it was seen as extremely dubious; the criminal charges are the least surprising outcome.

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