US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen met with BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan and the Board of Directors in a high-level meeting.
The meeting, held at the BGMEA Complex in Uttara today (Sunday), discussed various aspects of bilateral trade between Bangladesh and the United States, US investment in Bangladesh’s energy sector, various labor-related issues, and expansion of economic cooperation.
The US delegation included Labor Attaché Leena Khan, Agri Attaché Erin Covert, Commercial Attaché Paul Frost, Political and Economic Officer Srini Sitaram, and Labor Expert Saifuzzaman Mehrab.
In the meeting, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan led the discussion, and Senior Vice President Enamul Haque Khan, Vice President Md. Rejoan Selim, Vice President (Finance) Mizanur Rahman, Vice President Vidya Amrit Khan, Vice President Md. Shihab Uddoza Chowdhury, Director Shah Raed Chowdhury, Director Faisal Samad, Director Mohammad Abdus Salam, Director Nafis-ud- Daula, Director Sumaiya Islam, Director Sheikh Hossain Mohammad Mostafiz, Director Kazi Mizanur Rahman, Director Joarder Mohammad Hosne Qamar Alam and former Director A.N.M. Saif Uddin participated in the discussion on behalf of BGMEA.
In the discussion, BGMEA requested clarification on the mechanism of duty exemption on ready-made garments using US cotton. The BGMEA President said that this initiative will further strengthen the relationship between the garment and textile sectors of the two countries. In response, the US Ambassador said that the United States Trade Representative is currently working on the issue. He added that the recent trade agreement is very positive for Bangladesh and Bangladesh is the first country to get this special opportunity. He hopes that this will increase cotton exports from the United States to Bangladesh.
During the discussion, BGMEA Senior Vice President Enamul Haque Khan brought to the attention of the Ambassador the issue of business confusion caused by frequent tariff changes in recent times. Ambassador Christensen explained that this situation has arisen in the context of a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court. The Ambassador further expressed optimism that this complication will be resolved very soon and stability will return to tariff issues.
During the meeting, the BGMEA President highlighted the importance of US investment in the energy sector to meet the needs of Bangladesh’s growing industrial sector. He said that investment in LNG infrastructure is needed as a short-term solution and US technology and investment in domestic gas extraction is needed to solve the long-term crisis.
Ambassador Christensen responded positively to the proposal and said that if a long-term and stable energy policy is formulated in Bangladesh, US investors will be interested in coming forward in this sector.
The meeting discussed in detail the labor law and the new ordinance. The ambassador said that labor sector reform is a long-standing and important issue in terms of trade between Bangladesh and the United States. The BGMEA President said that discussions are underway on the proposed labor ordinance with 145 specific points and further clarification is needed on some issues for the sake of transparency.
BGMEA also proposed to relax visa bonds and issue long-term visas for entrepreneurs in the garment sector.
In the meeting, BGMEA Director Sheikh Hossain Mohammad Mostafiz raised the issue of the largest number of ‘LEAD’ certified factories in the world being established in Bangladesh under the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and said that the United States can play a greater role in the sustainable development of this sector in Bangladesh. In response, the ambassador suggested that US brands and buying institutions be more closely involved in achieving this goal.
Senior officials of BGMEA and representatives of the US Embassy were present at the meeting. Both sides agreed to take the economic relations between the two countries to new heights.
