By lifting its arms embargo on Cambodia, Washington has signalled that President Donald Trump aims to lure Phnom Penh away from Beijing – a move experts warn would be difficult to achieve.
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According to a notice from the US Federal Register, the State Department formally ended its arms embargo on Cambodia as of November 7, and any arms sales to the country will now be decided on a case-by-case basis.
“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.
The arms embargo was put in place in 2021, during the Joe Biden administration. Washington had cited Phnom Penh’s growing military ties with Beijing, culminating in China’s funding to expand the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia, as well as human rights concerns as reasons for the embargo.
Its lifting followed Trump’s visit to Malaysia last month for the Asean summit, where he met various leaders from the region, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
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On the sidelines of the summit in Kuala Lumpur, Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hosted Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to sign a peace accord to end the Thai-Cambodia border tensions, according to the US mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.