BNP Urges US to Keep Bangladesh Tariffs Fair

BNP has called on the United States to maintain reciprocal tariffs on Bangladeshi exports at a reasonable level to preserve healthy trade and economic relations between the two nations.

“The issue of tariffs came up during our discussion. We presented Bangladesh’s perspective and emphasised the need for a balanced approach,” said BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury after a meeting with Nicole Chulick, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, on Wednesday.

He warned that excessive tariffs would harm Bangladesh’s exports to the US and strain bilateral economic ties. “We told the US side that this issue should be resolved through inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders,” he added.

The meeting, held at the Gulshan residence of the US Deputy Head of Mission in Dhaka, also included BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Organising Secretary Shama Obaed.

Khosru noted that the two sides also discussed key bilateral issues, including the timing and nature of Bangladesh’s next general election. “The US wanted to know when the election would be held and our position on it,” he said.

BNP informed the visiting US official that it wants the national election to be held by December this year or earlier. “We are ready to reach a consensus on reforms within a month, and if that happens, the election could be held even before December,” Khosru said.

He stressed that the interim government's role should be limited to restoring the democratic process, with no scope to delay the polls in the name of reforms. “Critical decisions—both domestic and international—are being hampered in the absence of a representative government,” he said.

Investors, he added, are waiting to see when an elected government will take office and what its economic policies will be.

Khosru also briefed the US side on BNP’s reform agenda and past contributions to economic and political development. “All major reforms—from introducing multi-party democracy to building a free market economy—were implemented under BNP rule. The country’s economic progress is rooted in those initiatives,” he said, adding that BNP is committed to advancing further reforms if it returns to power.