Washington, Jan 09 (V7N)- Bangladesh has formally proposed to the United States to reduce the existing 20 percent reciprocal tariff, as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral trade relations.

National Security Advisor Dr. Khalilur Rahman raised the issue during a meeting with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington DC on Thursday (January 8) local time. During the meeting, Greer assured that the proposal would be considered positively.

The Chief Advisor’s Press Wing confirmed the meeting in a statement issued on Friday morning.

At the meeting, Dr. Khalilur Rahman highlighted Bangladesh’s progress in narrowing the trade deficit with the United States. He noted that Dhaka had significantly reduced the deficit by increasing imports from the US even before the reciprocal tariff agreement came into effect.

He also expressed Bangladesh’s willingness to reduce tariffs on ready-made garments produced using US raw materials, aiming to promote mutually beneficial trade.

In addition, Dr. Khalilur Rahman requested facilitation of business travel, noting concerns after Bangladesh was included in the recent US visa bond list.

Meanwhile, the National Security Advisor is scheduled to meet senior officials of the US State Department on Saturday to further discuss bilateral cooperation.

END/SMA/AJ