Bangladesh will press for review of bilateral trade and market access with the United States at the 5th Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA) meeting in Dhaka on March 5. It will seek implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and discuss the non-tariff measures faced by locally-manufactured pharmaceutical products.
Responsible business conduct and ethical buying practices will also figure prominently in the talks.Bangladesh will press for review of bilateral trade and market access with the United States at the 5th Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA) meeting in Dhaka on March 5. It will seek implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and discuss the non-tariff measures faced by locally-manufactured pharmaceutical products.#
High on the US agenda will be labour issues, including workers' rights and safety, legislative reforms and cotton fumigation requirement, a Bangla newspaper reported quoting unnamed government officials.
Eighteen issues will be there on the table—nine from each side. TICFA was signed on November 25, 2013. Since then four meetings have been held -- two in Washington and two in Dhaka.
The nine issues from the US side include Bangladesh's rice export subsidy, its policy about a cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector, digital trade, investment climate and intellectual property rights.
A US trade delegation led by assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Christopher Wilson will attend the meeting. Bangladesh’s priority will be bilateral trade and fair prices for domestic products exported.
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