The US on Wednesday imposed an arms embargo on Cambodia, citing concerns about human rights and corruption in the Southeast Asian nation as well as China's activities there.

The actions taken by the US State and Commerce departments aimed to restrict access to "defense articles and defense services" by Cambodia's military and intelligence agencies, according to a statement.

But Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen downplayed the quality of US weapons and equipment on Friday, AFP reported.

"I order all army units to immediately review arms and military items that Cambodia currently has. [We] must recall all US arms and military items if there are any — put them in warehouses or destroy them accordingly," he said in a Facebook post.

"[The US arms embargo] is a warning message to the next generation of Cambodians who lead the government that if they want an independent defense sector, please don't use US weapons."

"A lot of those who use US arms lost wars," the Cambodian strongman said, citing Afghanistan.

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