Phnom Penh: Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice President of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), H.E. Sun Chanthol, departed Phnom Penh this morning, leading a delegation of the Ad-Hoc Cambodia-U.S. Bilateral Relations Coordination Working Group to the United States for reciprocal tariff negotiations. Minister of Commerce, H.E. Mrs. Cham Nimul, is also part of the delegation.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the discussions are scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. from May 13 to 15. These meetings are part of ongoing efforts to review and enhance bilateral trade between Cambodia and the U.S. The trip follows two prior meetings on April 16 and May 2, conducted via videoconference between the Ad-Hoc Working Group led by H.E. Sun Chanthol and the U.S. Trade Representative.
The negotiations have been initiated in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on April 2, 2025, regarding new reciprocal tariffs on the country’s trading partners. Under this new policy, a 49 percent
tariff was initially imposed on imports from Cambodia. However, the U.S. government approved a 90-day temporary suspension of the full tariff on April 9, reducing it to 10 percent for countries, including Cambodia, that have officially sought to negotiate a solution with the U.S.