Relationship dossier
Cambodia
United States
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation coexists with political and security tensions
Cambodia toward United States
-10Cambodian authorities have cooperated with the United States in accounting for Americans missing from the Vietnam War. Cambodia suspended a joint military exercise with the United States in 2017, reflecting a period of reduced security cooperation.
United States toward Cambodia
-15The United States has provided assistance to Cambodia and maintained trade ties, while imposing restrictions on Cambodian officials and an arms embargo amid concerns about democratic conditions and Cambodia’s security relationship with China.
Overall relationship
-10The relationship has included assistance, trade, and cooperation on missing Americans, but political concerns and Cambodia’s security ties with China have contributed to recurring U.S. restrictions and reduced military cooperation. These strands make the bilateral relationship mixed, with neither sustained partnership nor pervasive confrontation defining it.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cambodia–United States relations combine practical cooperation with recurring political and security friction. Cambodian authorities have cooperated with the United States on accounting for Americans missing from the Vietnam War, while Cambodia suspended a joint military exercise in 2017. The United States has provided assistance and pursued trade ties, but has also imposed restrictions over concerns about democracy and Cambodia’s security relationship with China.
Areas of tension
- U.S. concerns about democratic conditions and restrictions affecting Cambodian officials.
- U.S. concerns about Cambodia’s security relationship with China.
- Reduced bilateral military cooperation, including Cambodia’s 2017 suspension of a joint exercise.
Key developments
Cambodia suspended a joint military exercise with the United States.
The United States imposed an arms embargo on Cambodia amid concerns about its security ties with China.
Cambodian authorities cooperated with the United States on accounting for Americans missing from the Vietnam War.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and continuity of Cambodian cooperation on missing Americans are unclear.
- The implementation and effects of U.S. assistance and restrictions vary over time.
- The extent of security cooperation between the two governments is uncertain.