Bangladesh awaits new date to resume tariff talks with Trump administration

Bangladesh is waiting for a fresh date from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to resume the third and final round of tariff negotiations with the Trump administration, Commerce Adviser SK Bashir Uddin said today.

A virtual meeting is scheduled to be held between Bangladesh and the USTR today or tomorrow, after which the USTR will provide a new date and time for the negotiations, he told journalists at his office in Dhaka.

Once the USTR confirms the date, the negotiating team will travel to the US to finalise the tariff rates, he said.

Bangladesh has not hired any lobbying firm for the talks, as such firms have little role in the negotiation process, the adviser said.

"We need major structural changes, where lobbyists cannot contribute," he added.

The commerce ministry has already convened an inter-ministerial meeting to decide on the necessary reforms to facilitate the tariff talks.

Some exporters, particularly in the garment sector, had earlier pushed for hiring lobbyists in the US.

Bangladesh submitted its position paper to the USTR on Tuesday, requesting a new date for the concluding round of negotiations, aimed at reducing the 35 percent tariff imposed by the Trump administration on its exports to America.

The new tariff is scheduled to become effective from August 1.