Phnom Penh (FN), Apr. 5 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that the Royal Government will enter negotiations with the United States following the announcement of a 49 per cent tariff increase on Cambodian goods exported to the US.

The premier spoke during the weekly plenary meeting on 4 April 2025 at the Peace Palace.

Samdech Thipadei acknowledged that the US government’s decision to impose higher tariffs on Cambodian products may have certain negative consequences for Cambodia. However, he emphasised that the situation was not as severe as some social media users had claimed.

In this context, the prime minister urged the public to remain calm and place their trust in the government to address and resolve the matter.

On the topic of tariffs, Samdech Thipadei noted that the United States has been incurring significant financial losses due to imports from numerous countries, as evidenced by its persistent trade deficits. As a result, the Trump administration has introduced reciprocal tariffs on countries with which it maintains a trade deficit. Specifically, Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam are now subject to import tariffs of 49 per cent, 48 per cent, and 46 per cent, respectively. These rates correspond to the trade deficits the United States holds with each country: 97 per cent with Cambodia, 95 per cent with Laos, and 90 per cent with Viet Nam.

He stressed that these reciprocal tariffs are not retaliatory measures against import tariffs imposed by those countries on US goods. Rather, the reciprocal tariffs represent only 50 per cent of the respective trade deficits that the United States has with each of the aforementioned nations.
=FRESH NEWS