Achieved results within competitors’ range: Adviser Khalilur on US tariff deal
When asked why a national security adviser was involved in a tariff-related negotiation, he mentioned that the reciprocal tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump were done under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, a law which also contains issues of national security.
Bangladesh has secured a favourable outcome from the US tariff discussions, achieving results comparable to its competitors, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman said today (2 August).
"You'll understand whether the deal was right by looking at the outcome. We brought results, and they are within the range of our competitors," Khalilur said in a video posted on the Facebook page of Golam Mortoza, press minister at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington.
He made the remarks after the White House announced a reduction in the reciprocal tariff rate on products imported from Bangladesh to 20% from the previously declared 35%.
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In the video, Khalilur discussed key issues surrounding the Bangladesh-US tariff negotiations, including the controversies and criticism that followed.
He added, "Our competitors like Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam have all negotiated. If we hadn't negotiated, we would have remained stuck with 35% tariffs. India still hasn't received their rate. Canada couldn't complete its negotiations and suffered a major tariff blow."
Responding to criticism over the capability of the delegation negotiating the deal, the security adviser said, "I honestly don't understand the basis for questioning capacity. Perhaps it's because people misunderstood this as just another tariff agreement. If it were merely about adjusting our duties for American products, we could've done it in a couple of days."
He said the interim government has no parliament and is not elected by the people. Therefore, they don't want to obligate the next elected government to the agreement. "That's why we said to include a clause allowing revisions, amendments, or even cancellation of the agreement."
He further said they will not take on any obligation beyond their capacity to bear. "There will be no mention of any third country here [agreement]. We can only say that we have protected our country's interests."
Khalilur added that if the next elected government feels the deal is not in the nation's interest, they can cancel it.
When asked why a national security adviser was involved in a tariff-related negotiation, he mentioned that the reciprocal tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump were done under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, a law which also contains issues of national security.
Khalilur said all countries involved sent their security advisers due to the security dimension of the discussions.
"When I arrived in Washington in July, the Korean national security adviser was also here – like me. Because we want from our side to avoid falling into any geopolitical traps. That's why we remained vigilant about safeguarding our national security alongside tariff matters."
Khalilur also said that they are not here to take credit, "That's not why I came here."
This government will be gone in seven to eight months and there's no reason to seek credit, he added.
"At the very least, we managed to bring the process to a stage where our rate was set – one that is roughly in line with what our competitors received."
In response to accusations that the government sold out the country just to reduce the tariff to 20%, Khalilur said he welcomed the scrutiny, saying that he is glad that people are asking these questions.
"For 15 years, previous governments signed deals where they [people] bought items worth Tk5 at Tk50. We have seen how national interests were often compromised. I believe transparency should be at the forefront – not just today, but for every government in the future."
When asked whether the tariff reduction deal linked to the purchase of 25 Boeing aircraft, the national security adviser said over 10 million Bangladeshis live abroad, making it a massive market.
"We're not fully able to tap into this market. Foreign airlines are taking away the business," he said.
"You can't serve a large number of passengers without increasing the number of flights. And it takes a long time to build an aircraft. We made this decision with the future in mind. Over the next 10 to 15 years, we will need 20 to 25 planes," he added.
