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
Articles
-
12-Feb-2019 New Age Business Bangladesh, Indonesia set to start PTA negotiation
Bangladesh and Indonesia are set to start a negotiation this month for signing a preferential trade agreement to boost bilateral trade -
19-Nov-2018 Times of India Enter into FTA with Russia, knitwear players urge Centre
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. -
30-Oct-2018 Daily Star No FTAs before LDC graduation
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. -
8-Oct-2018 Dhaka Tribune Brazil keen to sign FTA with Bangladesh
The signing of FTA will open a new avenue for Bangladeshi goods in the Latin American country. -
25-Apr-2018 Reuters Bangladesh official says no rush for free trade pact with China
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. -
25-Apr-2018 The Daily Star Bangladesh plans FTA with Thailand
Bangladesh has decided to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Thailand to boost trade with the Southeast Asian nation. -
1-Mar-2018 bdnews24 Bangladesh proposes FTA talks with US
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. -
10-Nov-2016 The Daily Star Bangladesh, Sri Lanka agree to sign FTA
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have agreed to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) to boost bilateral trade. -
19-Jan-2016 FTA with Malaysia this year: Tofail
Bangladesh plans to sign a free trade agreement with Malaysia this year to boost bilateral trade, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said yesterday. -
15-Jan-2015 Financial Express Dhaka, KL may ink FTA deal by June next year
Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed has expressed the hope that Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur (KL) would sign a Free Trade Agreement between Malaysia and Bangladesh by middle of next year -
30-Oct-2014 Bangladesh complacent in competitive global market
Bangladesh is, perhaps, the only country in the world which does not have any Free Trade Agreement with important trading countries. -
30-Sep-2014 Prothom Alo BD to sign FTA with Czech soon: Tofail
Bangladesh government has decided to ink a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Czech Republic to expand trade and commerce with the central European country, said Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed on Monday. -
23-Sep-2014 Financial Express Dhaka’s lukewarm response delays FTA signing with KL : Envoy
The planned free-trade agreement (FTA) between Bangladesh and Malaysia for enhancing bilateral trade and economic cooperation could not be signed for lukewarm response from Dhaka, the Malaysian envoy said Monday. -
24-Mar-2014 Financial Express BD for economic partnership deal with Japan
Bangladesh on Saturday expressed its keen interest in concluding an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan. -
7-Mar-2014 Govt looks to sign FTAs with rich nations
The government plans to sign free trade agreements (FTAs) with developed countries to boost exports following similar moves by India, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said yesterday. -
5-Dec-2013 Financial Express Writ challenging legality of TICFA filed
A writ petition was filed with the High Court in Dhaka Wednesday challenging the legality of the Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement (TICFA), signed recently between Bangladesh and the USA. -
28-Nov-2013 Countercurrents TICFA, political economy of US bilateralism and Bangladesh
It should come as no surprise that TICFA is not really an economic cooperation or development agreement, writes Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan in Countercurrents. -
26-Nov-2013 Daily Star Ticfa with US signed at last
The government of Bangladesh, after more than a decade of talks, yesterday inked the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (Ticfa) with the US -
5-Sep-2013 Dhaka Tribune Dhaka keen to join a free-trade move
The government of Bangladesh has already taken up its desire to join the Trans Pacific Partnership talks through its embassy in Washington -
28-Jun-2013 AJE US cut of trade privilege angers Bangladesh
Bangladesh has criticised the decision by the United States to cut trade privileges in the wake of a deadly garment factory collapse, insisting it had taken concrete action to improve safety.
