Die USA sehen in Kambodschas Hun Manet einen potenziellen Partner im Indopazifik

SS: In *Nikkei Asia*, Ken Moriyasu and Anant Baliga report that the Trump administration has rapidly shifted from penalising Cambodia with steep “reciprocal” tariffs to courting Prime Minister Hun Manet as a potential Indo-Pacific partner, reflecting Washington’s belief that the West Point-educated leader is more open to diversifying Cambodia’s strategic alignments. After initially imposing a 49 percent tariff on Cambodian exports for facilitating Chinese transshipment, Trump met Hun Manet in October and cut the tariff to 19 percent, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio lifted the U.S. arms embargo and agreed to revive the Angkor Sentinel military exercise.

Officials told *Nikkei Asia* that the United States now seeks cooperation on defence, investment climate reforms and cracking down on online scam networks, even as it continues to sanction Cambodian tycoons and raise concerns about Chinese activity at Ream Naval Base. Analysts quoted in the piece argue that Manet’s willingness to take calculated risks, China’s stalled BRI projects, and Phnom Penh’s lobbying push have opened space for renewed engagement, giving Cambodia room to hedge between major powers while Washington aims to counterbalance Beijing’s influence.