Cambodia and U.S. Hold First Round of Trade Discussions
On April 16, 2025, H.E. Sun Chanthol, Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice-President of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), and H.E. Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce, led the ad hoc Cambodia-U.S. Bilateral Relations Coordination Working Group to meet with United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, via virtual conference.
The meeting was held in response to the 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 in good faith with the United States of America.
According to a press release issued by the Royal Government Spokesperson Unit, the virtual meeting centred on discussing how Cambodia and the United States can enhance bilateral trade and investment cooperation, with both sides expressing a commitment to engaging in open and constructive dialogue to work towards achieving a fair and balanced trade relationship between the two countries. Both sides also agreed to hold further meetings in the near future.
The press release affirmed that the Cambodian government will continue to cooperate closely with the United States of America to achieve a mutually beneficial trade and investment relationship.
President Trump announced sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” on April 2, 2025, including a universal 10 per cent tariff on all foreign goods imported into the United States, and additional tariffs imposed on several countries around the world. Cambodia was one of the hardest hit, with an additional tariff of 49 per cent, the highest of any country in Asia.
While the additional tariffs initially came into effect on April 9, they were paused less than 24 hours later, allowing for countries to come forward to negotiate better terms. U.S. officials say more than 70 nations have requested to hold negotiations.
