Bangladesh
While Bangladesh may not appear to be a major player on the bilateral FTA front, it is currently under many pressures and involved in various discussions:
The government was dealt harsh arrangements from the EU in the two parties’ trade and development cooperation agreement of 2001, through which Dhaka accepted WTO-plus demands from the EU, for instance to allow corporate monopoly rights over seeds (patenting); The government was in controversial talks with the US over a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, a preliminary to a possible FTA with Washington; but decided not to sign one in 2010 after several years of discussions. The US subsequently asked Bangladesh to sign a Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum deal, but this has not yet been signed; India has been pushing for a bilateral FTA with Bangladesh, but the World Bank has made clear that India would benefit more; Pakistan has been pushing for an FTA with Bangladesh as well; Bangladesh, for its part, is interested in developing an FTA with China.
Apart from all these, the government is either negotiating or considering negotiating FTAs with Iran, Turkey, Bhutan, Malaysia, Morocco and Sri Lanka.
On a regional level, Bangladesh is a member of SAARC, which has its own FTA, as well as BIMSTEC, which also aims to develop one.
last update: May 2012
Bangladesh has expressed it interest to sign FTA with South American trade bloc Mercosur at an early date to tap the under-exploited South American market.
Bangladesh is considering entering into a free trade agreement with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc, finding potentials for export of some major products produced in the country.
Bangladesh and Indonesia are set to start a negotiation this month for signing a preferential trade agreement to boost bilateral trade
Knitwear industrialists have urged the central government to enter into a free trade agreement with Russia, saying the former Soviet Union had given green signal to enter into such a treaty with Bangladesh.
Bangladesh will graduate from the least-developed country bracket in 2024, three years after which free trade agreements will be crucial in maintaining its comparative advantage in international trade.
The signing of FTA will open a new avenue for Bangladeshi goods in the Latin American country.
Bangladesh is in no rush to sign a free trade agreement with China, a senior Bangladeshi trade official said on Tuesday, though Chinese officials said it would help the poor South Asian country cut its deficit with its largest trading partner.
Bangladesh has decided to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Thailand to boost trade with the Southeast Asian nation.
Bangladesh being denied GSP and duty-free quota-free market access now seeks a free trade agreement with the United States as it is graduating to a middle-income country.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have agreed to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) to boost bilateral trade.
