Bangladesh proposes 20% reciprocal tariff reduction to US

Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser, Dr Khalilur Rahman, met with US Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Jamison Greer on Thursday (8 January) in Washington, DC, proposing a 20% reduction in reciprocal tariffs imposed on Bangladesh. Khalilur Rahman also held a separate meeting with USTR Assistant Representative Brendan Lynch.

During the meeting with Ambassador Greer, Khalilur Rahman highlighted Bangladesh’s progress in reducing its trade deficit with the United States. He noted that even before the formal implementation of the bilateral trade agreement, Bangladesh had significantly increased imports from the US, contributing to a notable reduction in the trade gap, and had already implemented several key aspects of the agreement.

In this context, he proposed a 20% reduction in reciprocal tariffs. Ambassador Greer expressed willingness to consider the proposal positively and assured that the US would seriously review Bangladesh’s request to reduce or waive reciprocal tariffs on garments produced using US materials.

Both sides agreed to expedite the resolution of remaining issues to finalise and implement the reciprocal tariff agreement as soon as possible.

Khalilur Rahman also expressed optimism that increased bilateral trade would boost business interactions between Bangladesh and the US in the future. He urged Ambassador Greer to facilitate travel for Bangladeshi businesspeople, in light of Bangladesh’s recent inclusion on the US visa bond list. Additionally, he requested access for Bangladesh’s private sector to the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) fund, with Ambassador Greer assuring that efforts would be made in this regard.

The meetings were attended by Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the US, Tarek Md Ariful Islam, alongside Khalilur Rahman. USTR officials, including Assistant Representative Brendan Lynch, were also present. Khalilur Rahman is scheduled to meet senior officials of the US State Department in the coming days.