USTR Sets July 29 for Final Tariff Talks with Bangladesh

Photo : Collected

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has invited Bangladesh to resume the third and final round of tariff negotiations on July 29, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman has confirmed.

Bangladesh earlier submitted its position paper to the USTR on July 22, proposing July 26 for the next round of talks at the USTR headquarters in Washington DC. However, the USTR has now scheduled the meeting for July 29.

Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin will lead the Bangladesh delegation. If the meeting is held in person, the team is expected to depart for the US on July 27. There is also a possibility that the talks may take place virtually.

Some private sector exporters may accompany the delegation, although they will not participate directly in the government-to-government negotiations.

The commerce secretary expressed optimism that the US will lower its current 35 percent tariff rate on Bangladeshi exports. He noted that the US has already reduced tariffs for countries like Japan (15%), Indonesia (19%), Vietnam (20%), and the Philippines (19%).

Bangladesh has negotiated effectively so far and hopes for a significant tariff cut. As part of efforts to deepen trade ties, Bangladesh has already offered duty-free access for US exports including cotton, wheat, LNG, aircraft, and other agricultural goods.

Additionally, on July 20, Bangladesh signed an agreement to import 700,000 tonnes of wheat from US suppliers, aimed at boosting bilateral trade.