Muhammad Yunus urges US President Donald Trump to postpone tariff measures on Bangladesh

Dhaka, April 7: Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has addressed a letter to US President Donald J Trump requesting him to postpone the application of US reciprocal tariff measures on Bangladesh for three months to allow the interim government to smoothly implement its initiative to substantially increase US exports to Bangladesh, the Chief Adviser's Press Wing said in a statement on Monday.

"We are the first country to take such a pro-active initiative," he said in his letter, citing the visit of High Representative Dr Khalilur Rahman to Washington DC in February.

Ever since, the two sides have been working closely to identify specific actions, the statement said.

Bangladesh is also the first country to enter into a multi-year agreement to import liquefied natural gas from the US, it added.

The centrepiece 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, the statement said.

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.

Bangladesh will build dedicated duty-free bonded warehouses for cotton to improve speed to market.

"We are eliminating certain testing requirements, rationalising packaging, labelling and certification requirements and undertaking trade facilitation measures such as simplifying customs procedures and standards," the Chief Adviser added.

"Bangladesh will take all necessary actions to fully support your trade agenda," Professor Yunus assured President Trump.

A separate letter detailing the actions by Bangladesh will be sent by the Commerce Adviser to the US Trade Representative soon, the statement said.

Reader Comments

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Anika R.

This is such a smart diplomatic move by Bangladesh! Building economic bridges is always better than trade wars. Hope President Trump considers this request seriously. 🇧🇩🤝🇺🇸

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Samir K.

Interesting strategy - offering to buy more US agricultural products while asking for tariff relief. I wonder if this will actually benefit Bangladeshi consumers in the long run though.

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Tahmina F.

Professor Yunus showing why he's a Nobel laureate! This is exactly the kind of win-win economic diplomacy we need more of in the world. The LNG deal is particularly promising for our energy sector.

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Rafiq H.

While I appreciate the effort, I'm concerned we're giving away too much too fast. The tariff cuts on medical equipment could hurt our domestic manufacturers. There needs to be a better balance.

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Meher N.

The duty-free bonded warehouses for cotton is a game changer for our textile industry! Faster access to materials means we can compete better globally. Smart economic planning here.

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Zahid I.

Simplifying customs procedures is long overdue! As an importer, I've lost count of how many days I've wasted on paperwork. If this actually happens, it will be a huge boost for business.

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