The interim government’s National Security Adviser, Dr Khalilur Rahman, has hinted at a possible further reduction in the reciprocal tariff imposed by the United States on Bangladesh.
Khalilur Rahman said the reciprocal tariff rates for many of Bangladesh’s competing countries had not yet been determined. Once those rates are set—particularly in the apparel sector—they are expected to remain competitive with Bangladesh’s position.
He made the remarks on Sunday (August 10) night at a reception hosted by the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) at the Gulshan Club in the capital. The event was organised to honour the government delegation for securing a reduction in US tariffs on Bangladeshi goods from 35 percent to 20 percent.
“There is no reason for us to be worried,” Khalilur Rahman said. “There is a third matter that I am not disclosing publicly. It is likely to be good news, and as a result, another round of tariff cuts for Bangladesh may follow.”
Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, Additional Secretary of the WTO Wing of the Ministry of Commerce Dr Nazneen Kauser Chowdhury, BTMA President Shawkat Aziz Russell, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan, and BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem, among others, were present.
Speaking about the agreement with the US, Khalilur Rahman said: “No agreement was made by selling out the country’s interests. We have not fallen into any geopolitical trap. We negotiated based on three principles. First, we are not an elected government, so we cannot impose any obligation on the next government. The next elected government must have the authority to amend, revise, or cancel it. We were negotiating with President Trump’s administration on an agreement that is terminable.”
He added that the government began work on the issue in February, when other countries were not yet prepared, thus gaining extra time. “If this were only a tariff rate adjustment, we could have done it in two phases. But this is not just about tariffs—it involves non-tariff barriers, national policy, and security concerns, making it a complex process,” he said.
According to him, President Trump imposed the reciprocal tariff under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA), which allows the US president to restrict international trade if an economic, diplomatic, or national security emergency arises. However, Khalilur Rahman noted that the use of this authority has been debated in the US, and the decision to impose the tariff has been challenged in court. He said courts in both New York and Washington had overturned the measure.
