US lifts arms embargo on Cambodia after Trump oversees ceasefire deal
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US President Donald Trump (right) oversaw the signing of an enhanced ceasefire deal between Cambodia and Thailand on Oct 26.
PHOTO: EPA
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- US lifted the embargo on defence trade with Cambodia after a ceasefire deal between Cambodia and Thailand, overseen by President Trump.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited Cambodia's peace efforts and renewed US defence cooperation for the embargo lift. Sales are case-by-case.
- Despite the lifted embargo, US concerns remain over China's military influence in Cambodia, particularly at the Ream Naval Base.
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WASHINGTON - The United States on Nov 6 lifted an embargo on defence trade with Cambodia, after President Donald Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire deal
The administration of Mr Trump’s predecessor, Mr Joe Biden, imposed the ban on arms exports to the South-east Asian nation in 2021, citing the growing influence of China’s military in the country, as well as human rights and alleged corruption.
After Mr Trump was credited with bringing Thailand and Cambodia to the negotiating table to settle fighting on their shared border
“Based on Cambodia’s diligent pursuit of peace and security, including through renewed engagement with the United States on defence cooperation and combating transnational crime, the Secretary of State made a determination to lift the embargo on defence trade with Cambodia,” the notice said.
Arms sales to Cambodia would now be authorised on a case-by-case basis and subject to relevant criteria, the notice said.
It was unclear whether US concerns over Chinese military influence in Cambodia have been addressed. US officials have for years raised concerns about China’s expansion of the Ream Naval Base, which could give China an outpost near the contested waters of the South China Sea.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The determination comes after Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said after meeting Cambodia’s Minister of National Defence, Mr Tea Seiha, in Malaysia on Oct 31 that he had “agreed to restart our premier bilateral military exercise with Cambodia.”
Mr Trump earlier in the week was present at the signing of an enhanced ceasefire deal between Thailand and Cambodia in Malaysia that built on an earlier ceasefire. That deal came after a Mr Trump phone call broke the deadlock in efforts to end the heaviest fighting between Thailand and Cambodia in over a decade that killed dozens of soldiers and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Mr Hun Manet, said during the signing ceremony that he had nominated Mr Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the fighting. REUTERS
