Cambodia, one of the countries with the highest tariffs and one of the most active countries among the 18 countries that are trying to negotiate with the US administration, is still not sure how it can persuade the US as the deadline looms, with just one week left.
Since President Donald Trump announced a 90-day extension for countries to negotiate trade with the United States, Cambodia has held a series of talks, both in person in Washington and online, but no definitive agreement has been reached yet.
The last round of talks was held on June 25 between Mr. Sun Chanthol, Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice President of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, via videoconference with the United States Trade Representative, led by Ms. Sarah Ellerman, Deputy US Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
After the meeting ended, both sides only confirmed their readiness for the next round of talks. And committed to continue working together to reach a common goal that serves the interests of both countries. The next round of talks has not yet been scheduled, while the deadline for imposing tariffs announced by Trump on April 2 is set to expire on July 9.
Regarding the tariffs, there have been suggestions that the United States may extend the deadline for some more time, but according to a report by the Associated Press, Trump has confirmed that he has no plans to delay the implementation of the tariffs. He said his administration would notify countries that the United States would implement the tariffs if there was no trade agreement. He said the notice of the tariffs would be issued soon and that the notice would be issued before the deadline.
He said the letter could be sent to each country, stating that his administration would allow American citizens to pay tariffs on goods at the 10 percent, 25 percent, 30 percent, or 50 percent rate, as announced in April.
In fact, among the more than 180 countries seeking tariffs, Cambodia is one of Among the 18 countries that have been actively negotiating with the United States, the results of the negotiations are still not available, and from now to the ultimatum, there is only more than a week.
According to the data recorded by the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia, in the first five months of 2025, Cambodia’s exports to the US under the 10 percent tariff were worth $4.35 billion, up 27 percent, while imports from the US were worth $120 million, up 25.6 percent.
A trade observer said that what Cambodia has achieved in the past five months compared to the same period in 2024 is: Exports have surged to nearly $1 billion, and it is likely that when the June statistics come out, the export momentum will continue to increase further, and it will decrease more or less depending on the tariff situation that will be announced by the United States, which is scheduled to be released before the July 9 deadline.
The analyst said that the future of the Cambodian goods market in the United States is difficult to predict, because Donald Trump’s decision is also difficult to predict.
