A Cambodian policy analyst says the government should pursue closer diplomatic engagement with United States President Donald Trump if it hopes to secure lower tariffs on Cambodian exports to the American market.
Sek Socheat, a development and research adviser, told The Cambodia Daily on Friday that although Donald Trump recently lost a legal challenge in the United States Supreme Court over his tariff policies, the issue has not disappeared. According to Sek Socheat, Donald Trump has continued to raise tariffs on countries he chooses, regardless of the court ruling.
Sek Socheat argued that as long as Donald Trump remains in power in the United States, Cambodia needs to align its diplomatic approach with the direction of his administration.
The social observer also urged Cambodia to strengthen the rule of law to attract greater foreign investment. Increased investment, he said, would help expand Cambodia’s export capacity to the United States and other markets, benefiting both sides. Cambodia should also broaden its export destinations because the United States is not the country’s only market.
On March 4, Sun Chanthol, first vice chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, told local reporters during the 2026 ASEAN Cambodia Business Summit that a 19 percent retaliatory tariff imposed by the United States on Cambodian goods had been automatically removed following a recent ruling by the United States Supreme Court. Cambodia now expects that any new tariff imposed by Washington will be lower than 19 percent.
Sun Chanthol said that after the 19 percent tariff was lifted, the United States applied a new additional duty of 15 percent under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. This surcharge is added on top of the standard Most Favoured Nation tariff rate and applies to Cambodia as well as several other countries.
In late February, the international news agency Reuters reported that the United States Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump had exceeded his authority when imposing tariffs on imports from countries around the world.
In a six-to-three decision, the justices determined that the tariff policy affecting global imports into the United States violated economic law. The ruling means that tariffs imposed under that authority must be removed automatically.
Earlier, on April 2, 2025, Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on several countries exporting goods to the United States. Cambodia was initially targeted with tariffs of 49 percent, though the rate was later reduced to 36 percent.
On July 31, 2025, the White House released its final tariff decision covering 70 countries trading with the United States. Cambodia’s rate was lowered again, from 36 percent to 19 percent.
Casey Barnett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, said on July 31 that if the United States reduced tariffs on Cambodian goods to around 20 percent or lower, it would significantly benefit Cambodia’s economy. However, if tariffs exceeded 25 percent, he warned, it could pose serious challenges for the country’s exports.
