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The United States on Tuesday finalized the lifting of its arms embargo on Cambodia after years of citing Beijing’s military footprint, human rights concerns and corruption risks, according to a notice from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.
The change follows a White House announcement in November 2025, made shortly after President Donald Trump oversaw a ceasefire deal between Cambodia and Thailand that collapsed for several weeks in December, confirming the embargo imposed by his predecessor Joe Biden would be lifted.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration made the decision because of “Cambodia’s diligent pursuit of peace and security, including through renewed engagement with the United States on defense cooperation and combating transnational crime.”
The countries also agreed to revive their annual military exercise for the first time in eight years.
Even with Washington’s renewed pressure over the past year, including sanctions on Cambodian elites and firms with alleged links to transnational crime and online scam networks, as well as tariffs, relations with the Trump administration have warmed. Phnom Penh nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize and joined his Board of Peace.
Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, which had previously raised U.S. concerns over Chinese involvement, also hosted a U.S. warship in January, marking the first American military port call there.
It remains unclear whether U.S. concerns over Chinese military influence in Cambodia have been fully addressed before the embargo lift.
The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh referred questions to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.
Casey Barnett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, said on Facebook on Wednesday that the embargo lift could open the door for Cambodia to purchase advanced American technology, countering other analysts’ views that Phnom Penh lacks the capacity to acquire sophisticated U.S. equipment.
China remains Cambodia’s primary arms supplier and has gained a foothold in Thailand, where the U.S. had been the main arms provider to the Non-NATO Ally country since the Cold War before Beijing overtook the position in 2016.
