Bangladesh requests 3-month pause on US tariffs, vows support for Trump's agenda
Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, in a letter to President Donald Trump, urged a pause on tariffs to encourage US exports to his country.
In a letter to the US President, Yunus said, “Bangladesh will take all necessary actions to fully support your trade agenda.” He also claimed that the pause would enable Dhaka to significantly increase the amount of US exports coming into the country, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
On April 2, Donald Trump announced tariffs for several countries, and imposed a 37 per cent tariff on Bangladesh, which is the world's second-largest garment manufacturer.
Yunus stated that Bangladesh was the first country to enter into a multi-year agreement to import liquified natural gas from the United States. He added that Bangladesh would build “dedicated duty-free bonded warehouses for cotton” to improve its ability to reach the market faster.
He also cited the visit of the country's High Representative Dr Khalilur Rahman to Washington DC in February, stating that Bangladesh was the first country to take such a “pro-active initiative,” on trade discussions with the US.
Bangladesh on promoting US exports
In a post on X, the Bangladesh government released a statement regarding the letter and said, “The centerpiece of Bangladesh's actions is to significantly increase imports of US agricultural products such as cotton, wheat, corn and soybean which will offer benefits to US farmers.”
They added," Bangladesh has the lowest tariff on most US exports in the South Asian region. The Chief Adviser indicated further tariff cuts on US products are being fashioned, including top US export items such as gas turbines, semiconductors and medical equipment.”
Yunus also claimed in the letter, as reported by Reuters, that the country's approval of the Starlink satellite internet network, owned by Trump's aide Elon Musk, was a sign of their readiness to welcome more US investment in multiple sectors, including civil aviation and defence.
"We are eliminating certain testing requirements, rationalizing packaging, labelling and certification requirements and undertaking trade facilitation measures such as simplifying customs procedures and standards," Yunus added in his letter, highlighting reforms they were willing to undertake.
The interim government also stated that a separate letter from the commerce advisor detailing Bangladesh's actions towards promoting US exports would be sent to the country's trade representative.
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