Cambodia Rejects 97% Tariff Claim, Ready to Negotiate With Trump

[geovalin]

Prime Minister Hun Manet has firmly rejected claims that Cambodia imposes a 97% tariff on US goods, clarifying that the figure reflects a trade imbalance—not an actual tax rate—and signalling his readiness to negotiate directly with former US President Donald Trump if required.

 

Speaking at the inauguration of the Morodok Techo Skybridge in Phnom Penh on 7 April, Hun Manet addressed the growing concern following the US’s shock decision last week to slap a 49% tariff on Cambodian imports—one of the highest currently in effect globally.

 

“The 97 percent is not a tariff we impose,” the Prime Minister said. “It reflects the trade deficit between the two countries. Our actual average tariff on American goods is 29.4 percent, with some 210 tariff lines entirely duty-free.”

 

He stressed Cambodia’s adherence to World Trade Organization rules, which cap tariffs at 35%, and noted that US tariffs on Cambodian goods average 11%.

 

In response to the US measures, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia will immediately slash tariffs on 85 American goods—from 35% to just 5%—as a goodwill gesture. A high-level delegation, led by Sun Chanthol and Cham Nimul, is already on standby to fly to Washington should the US agree to formal talks.

 

“Even though I don’t post everything on Facebook, we’ve been preparing,” he assured the public. “We’ve carefully mapped out both immediate steps and follow-ups.”

 

The Prime Minister also addressed public calls for him to lead negotiations personally. “If President Donald Trump is involved in this tax issue, I’ll negotiate with him directly,” he stated, signalling both confidence and a willingness to engage at the highest level.

 

The US tariffs, announced on 2 April, target nearly 200 countries, prompting urgent consultations between Cambodia’s government and private sector. With tensions rising and trade implications looming, Hun Manet’s firm response marks a bid to protect Cambodia’s export sector while keeping diplomatic doors open.

 

[JustinT]

4 hours ago, geovalin said:

“The 97 percent is not a tariff we impose,” the Prime Minister said. “It reflects the trade deficit between the two countries. Our actual average tariff on American goods is 29.4 percent,

When Trump starts off with such an obvious and ridiculous lie as completely making up the tariff rate, it has to be the worst possible negotiating tactic.  Every country knows he can't be trusted and there is no reason to bother negotiating with a crazy person.  The smart countries are just ignoring him.

[Nid_Noi]

2 hours ago, JustinT said:

When Trump starts off with such an obvious and ridiculous lie as completely making up the tariff rate, it has to be the worst possible negotiating tactic.  Every country knows he can't be trusted and there is no reason to bother negotiating with a crazy person.  The smart countries are just ignoring him.

 

Until now S.E Asian countries have decided to slash their import tariffs to a trickle. Something is working for Trump.

All these countries have their negotiating teams ready to go to DC for making deals.

There are going to be a lot of "Sorry, so sorry".

[Jingthing]

Vietnam offered to go to zero.

Trump rejected it.

People aren't getting it.

Listen to what Trump says.

He's based this based on trade imbalances.

His starting point is actually completely INSANE:

Zero tariffs

Other country must have a balanced trade level or better

Other country must pay reparations for past "rip off" of the U.S.

 

Trump WANTS tariffs to stay as that fits with his goal of funding transfer of manufacturing in the U.S. (which would take 5 to 10 years and result in very little job growth due to automation) and also his stated goal of replacing U.S. income tax with tariffs (also paid as taxes by US consumers). He continues to try to fool the maga people that the other countries are paying the tariffs rather than U.S. consumers.

 

How can you negotiate with a totally INSANE man?

[Purdey]

Lots of criticism online about Trump's math being wrong. But how can the U.S. be competitive against poor Asian countries?

Coming soon to the U.S. - halve wages.

[hunkidori]

The man is a bully and a fraud, full of nonsense.

 

[hunkidori]

1 minute ago, Purdey said:

Lots of criticism online about Trump's math being wrong. But how can the U.S. be competitive against poor Asian countries?

Coming soon to the U.S. - halve wages.

Well they could start off trying to make decent cars. I mean who in their right mind would buy an American car over a Japanese one?

[Yagoda]

2 minutes ago, hunkidori said:

Well they could start off trying to make decent cars. I mean who in their right mind would buy an American car over a Japanese one?

Depends on the car

[Yagoda]

7 minutes ago, Purdey said:

 

Coming soon to the U.S. - halve wages.

thats a silly prediction

[JustinT]

3 hours ago, Nid_Noi said:

Until now S.E Asian countries have decided to slash their import tariffs to a trickle. Something is working for Trump.

You still don't understand that Trump doesn't care at all about the import tariffs.  This is all about trade deficits.  Take off your orange colored glasses, leave the MAGA cult, and wake up.

[KannikaP]

10 hours ago, geovalin said:

and signalling his readiness to negotiate directly with former US President Donald Trump if required.

He's not currently a FORMER President YET.