PHNOM PENH – U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, led a bipartisan congressional delegation to the Kingdom of Cambodia that included U.S. Representatives Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.). The delegation issued the following statement at the conclusion of the visit:
 
“Our delegation’s visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia comes at an important time in our bilateral relationship. In our meetings, we discussed Cambodia’s economic development, the status of bilateral negotiations related to reciprocal tariffs, future opportunities for U.S. businesses, and U.S. security cooperation. 
 
“Cambodia’s efforts to diversify its economy and play a stronger role in the global supply chain, which also benefits the United States, will depend on maintaining peace and stability in the region. To that end, it is our hope that Cambodia and Thailand will continue to uphold the ceasefire and pursue a peaceful and enduring resolution to the dispute at their borders. 
 
“Finally, we raised our concerns with the prevalence of scam centers based in Cambodia that target Americans. Unfortunately, we all have constituents who have fallen victim to these scam centers as Americans have been bilked out of billions of dollars. While we appreciate the Cambodian government’s efforts and cooperation with the United States to date, we expressed our desire to see Cambodia take more action to put these scam centers out of business. 
 
“We are grateful for the discussions we had with senior government officials. We hope that our visit to Cambodia will help further strengthen the bilateral relationship as our two countries work together on important bilateral, regional, and global issues.” 
 
Background: During their two days in the Kingdom of Cambodia, the delegation visited Phnom Penh and Kampong Chhnang. The delegation participated in briefings at the U.S. Embassy led by Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim Bridgette Walker. The delegation held bilateral meetings with Hun Manet, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce, and Eat Sophea, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary. The delegation also met with representatives of U.S. companies doing business in Cambodia and received a briefing from the Cambodian Mine Action Center training facility.

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