Staff Correspondent:

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has said that the 35% tariff imposed by the United States on Bangladeshi goods is not final. He noted that the matter will be resolved through one-on-one negotiations.

To this end, a meeting between Bangladeshi commerce representatives and officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

Salehuddin made the remarks while speaking to reporters on Tuesday (July 8) after attending a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Government Purchase at the Secretariat.

In response to a question about the US tariff decision, he said, “Our commerce adviser is already there—he left three days ago. The commerce team is flying out on Tuesday. The meeting is on the 8th, which means very on Wednesday in our time. We’ll understand more after the meeting, because what has been announced isn’t exactly official. When our commerce adviser meets with the USTR, that will be crucial. He already had discussions the day before. You’ll know more on Wednesday.”

When asked whether any progress can be expected from the meeting, he said, “We are hopeful. Based on the outcome, we will decide on the next steps. For now, the meeting seems reasonably positive. I believe a meeting was held on the 6th as well, and that too was fairly positive.”

In response to a journalist’s comment that a letter has already been issued, he acknowledged, “Yes, it was issued by the President. But the final decision will come only after one-to-one negotiations. They could’ve sent a letter long ago stating 35 percent—this announcement includes 14 countries. So, negotiations with the USTR are essential. It’s not final yet.”

When asked why Bangladesh received only a 2 percent tariff reduction while Vietnam secured a 26 percent cut, Salehuddin explained, “Look, our trade deficit with the US is only $5 billion, while Vietnam’s is $125 billion. In their case, the U.S. was more willing to offer concessions. But our deficit is so small—there’s no real justification for imposing such high tariffs on us. We’re making that point in negotiations.”

He added, “They’ve issued a blanket decision for 14 countries. China was treated separately—negotiated one-on-one. But for the others, the same rate has been applied. Now we will negotiate.”

When asked whether the conditions mentioned in the letter can be fulfilled, he said, “I cannot comment on that at the moment.”