Bangladesh has made a significant advance in its trade engagement with the United States, opening up new possibilities for improved market access and enhanced support for its key textile and apparel sector.
National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman met US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer in Washington, where the two sides discussed measures to deepen bilateral trade cooperation, according to an official statement from the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.
During the meeting, Dr Rahman requested that the United States consider reducing Bangladesh’s existing 20% reciprocal tariff rate to bring it closer to the levels applied to regional competitors. Ambassador Greer agreed to raise the issue with US President Donald Trump, signalling openness to reviewing Bangladesh’s tariff treatment.
More significantly, the discussions explored a proposed preferential trade mechanism aimed at supporting Bangladesh’s export priorities. Under the proposed arrangement, Bangladesh would receive tariff-free access to the US market for textile and apparel exports equivalent to the value of its imports of US-produced cotton and man-made fibre textile inputs. The calculation would be based on a square-metre measurement system.
Officials said the framework was designed as a mutually beneficial approach that would strengthen bilateral trade ties, support Bangladeshi manufacturers and workers, and reinforce supply-chain linkages with US producers of raw materials.
The development reflects growing momentum and goodwill in US-Bangladesh economic relations and is being seen as a positive step towards expanding Bangladesh’s access to the US market while deepening strategic trade cooperation between the two countries.
