FROM PAGE 16

on Reciprocal Trade, known as ART, but inherited it from the previous interim administration.

The deal, he added, contains provisions for amendment should any clause prove harmful to Bangladesh’s interests, which he described as a built-in “self-correcting element”.

The reassurances came a day after a Prothom Alo report found a sharp imbalance in the 32-page agreement’s language.

It stated that of 179 instances of the word “shall”, which carries mandatory legal weight, “Bangladesh shall” appears 131 times.

“US shall” appears just six times. The word “will”, which signals discretionary rather than binding action, appears just three times throughout the document.

Speaking to the media after meeting Lynch separately at the foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman did not dispute the figures but urged a comparative reading.

Mentioning that Bangladesh accepted 131 “shall” obligations, he said Indonesia agreed to 231 such obligations in its deal with the US.

Welcoming discussions on the deal, he said, “We are not the only country to sign a deal. Other countries have done this too.”

“When you read Bangladesh’s agreement, read it alongside Indonesia’s, Vietnam’s, Cambodia’s -- then you will understand it better,” he added.

Khalilur also pointed to the reciprocal tariff outcome the deal had delivered. Bangladesh secured a reciprocal tariff rate of 19 percent, one percentage point lower than Vietnam’s 20 percent.

“Compare Bangladesh’s agreement with the deals signed by others. You will realise what rate we received…; what purchase commitments we made versus others,” he said.

Muktadir also spoke about the US’s investigation into alleged forced labour and overcapacity.

The investigation involving 60 countries, including Bangladesh, focuses on whether these countries failed to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the import of goods produced with forced labour and whether it impacted US commerce.

The minister said that Dhaka has sought clarification before formally responding on the matter. “We have clearly conveyed that it would have been more positive if such an investigation had not been initiated under the existing agreement.”

Rejecting claims of overcapacity and dumping, Muktadir stressed that Bangladesh imports most of its goods under strict international compliance, leaving no scope for labour law violations or child labour. Exports, particularly ready-made garments, are also produced in the same way.