Cambodian garment workers fret Trump's new tariff threat
CAMBODIA, JUL 8 – Cambodian garment workers fear job losses as the US proposes a 36% tariff on exports to pressure Cambodia over alleged Chinese goods transit, with $10 billion in annual exports at risk.
- US President Donald Trump reduced the proposed tariff on Cambodian garment imports to 36 percent and pushed back the deadline for negotiations to August 1, 2024.
- This change followed original threats of a 49 percent tariff amid accusations that Cambodia allowed Chinese goods to reroute through its territory to avoid higher tariffs on Beijing.
- Cambodian garment workers, including a 28-year-old pregnant worker named Sreymom and a mother of three earning about US$300 monthly, expressed fears of job losses, factory closures, and wage cuts due to the tariff threat.
- Brian La Plante, who leads sustainability efforts at the Japanese zipper manufacturer YKK, described tariffs as detrimental to all parties involved, especially harming the environment.
- The tariff pause until August 1 provides time for possible trade deals, but workers and businesses in Cambodia face ongoing uncertainty amid shifting policy signals.
43 Articles
43 Articles


Cambodian garment workers fret Trump’s new tariff threat
PHNOM PENH: As Cambodian garment workers took breaks from toiling in sweltering factories on Tuesday, they feared for their jobs after US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 36 percent tariff.“I beg the US to reduce the tariff for the sake of workers in Cambodia,” 38-year-old Im Sothearin told AFP as she rested from her work in an underwear factory in the capital Phnom

Cambodian garment workers fret Trump's new tariff threat
As Cambodian garment workers took breaks from toiling in sweltering factories on Tuesday, they feared for their jobs after US President Donald Trump's threat to impose a 36 percent tariff.
Phnom Penh - "I'm worried": in Cambodia, which produces low-cost clothing for international brands, textile workers fear that the customs surcharge announced by the United States will cause job losses and wage cuts. "I beg the United States to reduce customs duties on behalf of Cambodian workers," launched Tuesday at AFP, Im Sothearin, 38, during her break. This mother of three children earns about $300 a month in a underwear factory in the capi…
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