AKP Phnom Penh, July 25, 2025 --

Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Sun Chanthol, First Vice President of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), has expressed optimism regarding ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States, confirming that all relevant documents for the tariff negotiations were submitted to the U.S. on July 16, 2025.

H.E. Deputy Prime Minister added that the U.S. Trade Representative has already briefed President Donald Trump, with hopes for an agreement to be finalised by Aug. 1.

"We hope to receive information from the U.S. about the tariff rate next week," he said. 

H.E. Sun Chanthol highlighted that neighbouring countries like the Philippines have seen reductions from 20 to 19 percent, and Japan from 25 to 15 percent.

"During the negotiations, we also asked for Cambodia’s tariff to be competitive with our partner countries. If ours is high, we will have difficulty competing," he said. 

On July 7, U.S. President Donald Trump sent a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, confirming the reduction of tariff rates from 49 to 36 percent on Cambodian goods imported to the U.S., which will take effect from Aug. 1, after Cambodia negotiated online and met in person with the U.S. Trade Representative twice.

“We hope for a new tariff rate below 36 percent,” he added, citing Cambodia's transparent and honest approach in discussions.
  
According to the Ministry of Commerce, in the first half of 2025, Cambodia exported more than US$5.5 billion in garment products and other essential goods to the U.S., up 25.6 percent compared to the same period in 2024. The U.S. exported more than US$160 million worth of products to Cambodia, up 29 percent.

The goods that Cambodia exports to the U.S. include clothing, travel accessories, bicycles, and some consumer goods. 

The U.S. exports to Cambodia consist of cars, machinery, jewelry, cosmetics, electrical and electronic equipment, and some consumer goods.

By Chea Vannak