 | |
 Cambodia |  United States |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Cambodia,Washington, D.C. | United States Embassy,Phnom Penh |
| Envoy | |
| Ambassador Chum Sounry | Vacant |
Bilateral relations between theUnited States andCambodia, while strained throughout theCold War, have strengthened considerably in modern times. The U.S. supports efforts in Cambodia tocombat terrorism, build democratic institutions, promote human rights, foster economic development, and eliminate corruption.[1][2]
According to a 2011Gallup poll, 68% of Cambodians approved of the job performance of the United States under theObama administration, with 7% disapproving, the most favorable opinion for any surveyedAsia–Pacific nation.[3] In a 2012 Gallup Poll, 62% of Cambodians approved of U.S. leadership, with 8% disapproving.[4] PresidentBarack Obama's visit toPhnom Penh in 2012 made history as the first U.S. presidential visit to Cambodia.
Between 1955 and 1963, the United States provided $409.6 million in economic grant aid and $83.7 million in military assistance.[citation needed] This aid was used primarily to repair damage caused by theIndochina War, to support internal security forces, and for the construction of an all-weather road to the seaport ofSihanoukville, which gave Cambodia its first direct access to the sea and access to the southwestern hinterlands. Relations deteriorated in the early 1960s. Diplomatic relations were broken by Cambodia in May 1965, but were reestablished on July 2, 1969. U.S. relations continued after the establishment of theKhmer Republic until theU.S. mission was evacuated during thefall of Phnom Penh on April 12, 1975.
During the 1970–1975 war, the United States provided $1.18 billion in military assistance to theKhmer National Armed Forces in their fight against theKhmer Rouge as well as $503 million in economic assistance. The United States condemned the brutal character ofDemocratic Kampuchea between 1975 and 1979. Relations worsened after theMayaguez incident when theLiberation Navy of Kampuchea captured theSS Mayaguez and theU.S. Marine Corps responded by raiding the island ofKoh Tang.[5] However, the fact that this regime was toppled in theCambodian–Vietnamese War byVietnam, which the United States regarded as a hostile power, led to U.S. condemnation of the Vietnamese invasion. The United States recognized theCoalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (which included the Khmer Rouge) as the legitimate government of Cambodia.[6]Ben Kiernan claimed that the U.S. offered material support to the Khmer Rouge after theVietnamese invasion.[7] Other sources have disputed these claims,[8] and described extensive fighting between the U.S.-backed forces of theKhmer People's National Liberation Front and the Khmer Rouge.[9]
Concurrent with these efforts, the United States supportedASEAN's efforts in the 1980s to achieve a political settlement of theCambodian Civil War that would include the Khmer Rouge in the government. This was accomplished on October 23, 1991, when theParis Conference reconvened to sign a comprehensive settlement.
The U.S. Mission inPhnom Penh opened on May 13, 1994, headed by career diplomatCharles H. Twining, Jr., who was designated U.S. Special Representative to the SNC.[10] On January 3, 1992, the U.S. lifted its embargo against Cambodia, thus normalizing economic relations with the country. The United States also ended blanket opposition to lending to Cambodia by international financial institutions. When the freely elected Royal Government of Cambodia was formed on September 24, 1993, the United States and the Kingdom of Cambodia immediately established full diplomatic relations. The U.S. Mission was upgraded to a U.S. embassy, and in May 1994 Mr. Twining became the U.S. ambassador. After the factional fighting in 1997 andHun Sen's legal machinations to depose First Prime MinisterNorodom Ranariddh, the United States suspended bilateral assistance to the Cambodian Government. At the same time, many U.S. citizens and other expatriates were evacuated from Cambodia and, in the subsequent weeks and months, more than 40,000 Cambodianrefugees fled to Thailand. The 1997 events also left a long list of uninvestigated human rights abuses, including dozens of extrajudicial killings. Since 1997 until recently, U.S. assistance to the Cambodian people has been provided mainly through non-governmental organizations, which flourish in Cambodia.
Since 2017, relations between the two countries have grown increasingly strained under calls by the United States to halt what it says is significantdemocratic backsliding and closer military ties with thePeople's Republic of China.[11] According to the U.S. State Department, the Cambodian government's crackdown on journalists,human rights activists, andpolitical opposition has transformed the country from adeveloping democracy inclusive ofindependent media to a "de factoone-party—and increasinglyauthoritarian—state intolerant of dissent."[11] In late 2017, the government of Cambodia banned theCambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), the nation's largest opposition party, short of the2018 national assembly election, clearing the way for the rulingCambodian People's Party (CPP) which prompted the United States to imposesanctions on senior Cambodian officials in hopes of reversing the nation's apparent descent intoauthoritarianism.[12]
Of further concern to the United States, Cambodia has greatly reduced its military partnership with the U.S. and strengthened its military ties with China. In 2017, Cambodia suspended all combined military operations with the United States and began training with thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA).[13] In 2019, theWall Street Journal published a report detailing a secret deal betweenBeijing andPhnom Penh to allow the stationing ofPLA troops atReam Naval Base.[14] In 2020, Cambodia demolished a Cambodian Navy tactical headquarters funded and built by the United States and after broke ground on the new Beijing-fundedReam Naval Base. At the groundbreaking ceremony,Wang Wentian, China'sambassador to Cambodia, announced that the project would deepen the "iron-clad partnership" between the two nation's militaries.[13][15] Souring military and political relations with the Washington and improving relations with Beijing have caused many to speculate that Cambodia views China as a closer ally.[13][16]
Following the2023 general election, the U.S. took steps to impose visa restrictions on individuals it deemed had "undermined democracy" and also implemented a pause of certain foreign assistance programs.[17] The U.S. State Department also named jailed union leaderChhim Sithar as one of its Human Rights Defender Award recipients for 2023. She is the first Cambodian to receive this award.[18]
By the 2020s, Cambodia's solar panel industry, initially supported by Chinese investment, experienced challenges due to US actions against Chinese production in other countries. These resulted with manufacturers shifting strategies or shutting down. In 2023, solar exports peaked at US$2.4 billion, but by the first half of this year, exports fell to US$4.4 million.[19] Cambodia was slapped with a 49% tariff by the Trump administration, the highest tariff given by the US to any Southeast Asian nation, on April 2, 2025 but was lowered to 19% on August 1.[20] Cambodian prime ministerHun Manet urged business and communities for "industrial recalibration" as the country faces US economic pressures.[21]
In May 2025, theUS Treasury proposed banning Cambodian firmHuione Group in the US due to money laundering concerns.[22]
Subsequently on October 2025, the US Department of Justice indicted and charged Chen Zhi, Chairman of Prince Holding Group and a close ally to Hun Sen over fraud practices and pig butchering scams and seized 15 billion U.S dollars in crypto assets.[23]
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The U.S. embassy is located in Phnom Penh, nearWat Phnom. It is one of the biggest embassies in Phnom Penh. It is located on the site of the formerCercle Sportif (also known as theClub Sportif Khmer) and following the capture of Phnom Penh by theKhmer Rouge on 17 April 1975 was the scene of the execution of various high-ranking leaders of the Khmer Republic includingLon Non,Long Boret andSisowath Sirik Matak.[24][25]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromU.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.
Media related toRelations of Cambodia and the United States at Wikimedia Commons
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