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.

In November, Washington sanctioned two Cambodian officials for corruption allegations linked to a US-funded naval base.

Cambodia's longtime leader is one of China's closest partners in Asia, and his government has been dismantling facilities at the Ream base that were built partly with American money and hosted to US exercises.

The Sihanoukville-base on the Gulf of Thailand has been a running sore in US-Cambodia relations in recent years, with Washington suspecting it is being converted for use by China.

Hun Sen has repeatedly denied his country would host the Chinese military at the base.

In a separate development, Reuters reported that a senior US official urged Cambodia on Friday not to make any concessions to Myanmar's military junta when Phnom Peng chairs ASEAN in 2022.

The remarks by US State Department counselor Derek Chollet came days after Cambodian Hun Sen said Myanmar officials should be invited to return to ASEAN meetings, following an unprecedented exclusion from this year's summit.

Myanmar has been in crisis since Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing overthrew a civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, prompting widespread protests and pockets of armed resistance met with violent suppression. The military says its takeover was in line with the constitution and called the opposition terrorists.

Min Aung Hlaing was not invited to ASEAN's October summit by current chair Brunei over a lack of cooperation with the regional bloc's peace plan, including not allowing an envoy access to Suu Kyi, who was sentenced on Dec. 6 to jail.

Chollet, on a brief visit to Phnom Penh, stopped short of calling on Cambodia to continue to exclude Myanmar junta officials, but he urged the country to promote and uphold the ASEAN peace plan.