AKP Phnom Penh, May 10, 2025 --

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.

The discussions, scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. from May 13 to 15, form part of the continuous efforts aimed at reviewing and enhancing the bilateral trade between Cambodia and the U.S.

The trip was made after two meetings on April 16 and May 2 via videoconference between the Ad-Hoc Working Group led by H.E. Sun Chanthol and the U.S. Trade Representative.

The negotiations follow the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2, 2025 of new reciprocal tariffs on the country’s trading partners. Under this policy, a 49 percent tariff was initially imposed on imports from Cambodia.

However, on April 9, the U.S. government approved a 90-day temporary suspension of the full tariff, reducing it to 10 percent for countries—including Cambodia— that have officially sought to negotiate a solution with the U.S.

By K. Rithy Reak