Commerce Minister says trade deal with US is not final and can be revised

Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Wednesday said the recently signed trade agreement between Bangladesh and the United States is not set in stone, noting that there is room to amend, add, or remove provisions if necessary.

He said the deal includes aspects that could further strengthen bilateral trade relations in the future and should not be viewed as entirely negative or entirely positive.

The minister made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a meeting with Paul Kapur, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, at the Commerce Ministry.

He said the agreement was signed with the objective of expanding economic, trade, and investment ties between the two countries.

Referring to bilateral trade, he noted that total trade between Bangladesh and the United States exceeds $8.5 billion, while Bangladesh imports goods worth nearly $2.75 billion from the US. As a single country, the United States remains one of Bangladesh’s largest trading partners, he added.

The minister said discussions during the meeting also covered investment, digital infrastructure development, and future economic cooperation, in addition to trade. Responding to a question on whether the 9 February trade deal was discussed in detail, he said it was not specifically raised. “The agreement was signed on the 9th. There was no separate discussion on it today,” he said.

Asked whether issues mentioned in a congratulatory letter from Donald Trump — including trade and defence matters — were discussed, he said the trade agreement was not part of the meeting’s agenda and that military issues do not fall under the Commerce Ministry’s jurisdiction.

Addressing criticism that Bangladesh’s interests were not adequately safeguarded in the deal, he said any agreement involves two parties and generally contains provisions beneficial to both sides.

“If you identify any problematic provision, you can raise it with us. No agreement is final forever. Every deal has its own mechanisms for review and correction. If we find that any clause requires amendment or modification, there is always scope for further negotiation,” he said, urging all not to be overly concerned.