Written by The Banking Post
Bangladesh has been invited to attend the third round of in-person talks with the United States regarding the countervailing tariff issue. To participate in the discussion, a delegation led by Trade Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin will leave Dhaka this evening (Monday) at 7:30 PM.
According to sources in the Ministry of Commerce, the delegation will include Dr. Khaleelur Rahman, National Security Adviser of the interim government, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, and Additional Secretary Nazneen Kauser Chowdhury, along with the trade adviser.
The direct meetings will be held at the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 29 and 30. The sessions are scheduled to take place from 8:00 PM to 10:30 PM Bangladesh time.
Speaking on the tariff issue, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said, “We have already communicated our final stance to the United States. After that, we requested a new round of meetings. In response, the USTR scheduled direct talks on July 29 and 30. Now, we will hold direct discussions about reducing the tariffs.”
When asked about expectations from the meeting, the secretary said, “We are hopeful that the tariff will be reduced.”
On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the imposition of countervailing tariffs on 60 countries, including Bangladesh. In response, Bangladesh sent two letters to the U.S. on April 7. Subsequently, on April 9, the Trump administration suspended the tariffs for three months. That suspension period ended on July 9.
The day before, on July 8, Trump made a fresh announcement that a 35% countervailing tariff would be imposed on Bangladeshi products starting August 1. Currently, Bangladesh pays an average of 15% in tariffs on exports to the U.S. If the new rate is enforced, the total tariff burden will rise to 50%.
