No possibility of deferring increased tariffs, commerce adviser says after meeting US envoy

There is no possibility of deferring the implementation date of the increased tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin said today (6 April), following a meeting with US Chargé d'Affaires in Dhaka Tracey Ann Jacobson.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, he said there is no possibility of a global or country-specific suspension of the increased tariff implementation timeline.

"We asked whether there is any possibility of deferring the implementation date of the increased tariff, which is scheduled for 9 April globally. But they have informed us that there is no such possibility."

"There's a perception going around that the tariff might be suspended for certain countries on the 9th, but there is no such likelihood," he added.

The adviser attended a breakfast meeting at 9am on trade barriers in the US acting ambassador's residence in Gulshan. Also present were Industry Adviser Md Adilur Rahman, High Representative of the Chief Adviser Khalilur Rahman, and the Chief Adviser's Special Envoy for International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi.

The meeting comes in the backdrop of several countries, including Vietnam and Cambodia, applying for a suspension of the implementation period of the reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States, which are scheduled to take effect from 9 April . Bangladesh is also preparing to send a letter requesting a three-month extension for the implementation of the increased tariff rate.

At the briefing, the commerce adviser also said, "Our main process is to reduce the trade deficit with the United States. In this regard, we discussed what steps we could take. They haven't officially said anything to us. They emphasised consultations. A way forward will emerge through discussions."

"We tried to convey yesterday that our chief adviser will personally be involved in these discussions. The rest of the work will be done part by part. We discussed the communication mechanisms we can adopt at our level," he said.

"We tried to understand the tariff and non-tariff issues that are problematic for the US. Among them, those that are beneficial for our economy — we definitely want to implement. And for the ones that are not, we will need to engage in further discussions."