U.S. and Cambodia to Hold Tariff Negotiations in Washington May 14-15
The Cambodian government has announced that the United States has agreed to negotiate tariffs with Cambodian officials in Washington on May 14-15, 2025.
This announcement follows the latest meeting between the ad hoc ‘Cambodia-U.S. Bilateral Relations Coordination Working Group’ – led by H.E. Sun Chanthol, Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice-Chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), and H.E. Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce – and Sarah Ellerman, Assistant United States Trade Representative (USTR) for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, via virtual video conference on May 2, 2025.
According to the announcement released by the Cambodian government’s spokesperson unit, the meeting’s discussion focused on work progression and preparation for the upcoming bilateral negotiations due to take place on May 14-15, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
The announcement stresses that the Cambodian government, led by Prime Minister Hun Manet, will continue to cooperate closely with the U.S. to achieve a mutually beneficial trade and investment relationship.
The Cambodia-U.S. Bilateral Relations Coordination Working Group held its first round of discussions on April 16, 2025, following receipt of a letter sent by Prime Minister Hun Manet to U.S. President Donald Trump on April 4, expressing Cambodia's willingness to engage in trade negotiations.
The U.S. announced sweeping tariffs on April 2, 2025, including a blanket 10 per cent tariff applied to all foreign goods imported into the U.S., and additional tariffs on almost 60 countries across the world, including Cambodia, which received the highest in Asia at 49 per cent.
The additional tariffs initially came into effect on April 9, but were paused less than 24 hours later, with the U.S. announcing a 90-day period for countries to come forward to negotiate better terms. More than 70 nations have so far requested to hold negotiations, according to U.S. officials.