By Asif Showkat Kallol (Dhaka Bureau)
Bangladesh is moving to strengthen its trade negotiation capacity after growing criticism that the country has repeatedly secured less favorable terms in major international trade agreements due to weak bargaining skills and inadequate institutional preparation.
The recent trade agreement with the United States and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed with Japan have reignited debate among economists, business leaders and policy experts. Many analysts argue that Bangladesh has conceded too much in key negotiations, particularly on intellectual property rights (IPR), while securing relatively limited commercial benefits.
Experts say the country’s recurring weakness stems from the absence of a permanent team of professional trade negotiators, frequent transfers of experienced officials, inadequate sector-specific expertise and insufficient assessment of the long-term economic impact of trade agreements. They also point to the tendency to conclude complex negotiations within months, whereas many countries spend years preparing and negotiating similar deals.
Former Additional Secretary and World Trade Organization Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) consultant Hafizur Rahman said Bangladesh often enters negotiations without adequate preparation, allowing stronger partners to dictate terms. He noted that trade negotiators require expertise in tariff structures, WTO rules, rules of origin, e-commerce, trade policy and product-specific regulations- skills that cannot be developed overnight. According to Rahman, experienced officials are frequently transferred during ongoing negotiations, disrupting institutional continuity. He also criticized the rush to finalize agreements, noting that while many countries spend up to a decade negotiating free trade agreements, Bangladesh has sometimes completed negotiations within six to eight months.
The urgency has increased as Bangladesh prepares to graduate from the UN’s Least Developed Country (LDC) category in 2029. Following graduation, the country will gradually lose many preferential market access benefits, making free trade agreements (FTAs), preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and EPAs increasingly important for sustaining exports and attracting investment. The Ministry of Commerce is currently negotiating trade agreements with several countries, including South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Discussions are also planned with the United States, the European Union, Canada, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Argentina, alongside regional initiatives under BIMSTEC. Despite the growing number of negotiations, Bangladesh still lacks a specialized trade negotiation wing. Instead, officials from multiple ministries- including the Commerce Ministry, National Board of Revenue, Tariff Commission and Finance Ministry- are assigned to negotiation teams while simultaneously handling other responsibilities.
Policy Research Institute Fellow Dr. Mostafa Abid Khan said Bangladesh urgently needs a dedicated negotiation department staffed by professionals whose primary responsibility is international trade negotiations. He also recommended recruiting younger officials, conducting rigorous policy research before negotiations, and creating specialized teams focusing on areas such as intellectual property, tariffs, labor standards and environmental regulations.
Recognizing these challenges, the government has begun preparing a ‘Negotiator Pool’ comprising around 150 officials drawn from the Commerce Ministry, NBR, ICT Division, Industries Ministry and other agencies. Officials trained by JICA and UNDP will receive priority, while retired experts may also be retained on contract to preserve institutional knowledge. Commerce Ministry Joint Secretary (FTA) Md. Firoz Uddin Ahmed said several meetings have already been held to establish the pool, adding that JICA has provided hands-on training to 47 officials while UNDP is offering theoretical instruction. He cited Japan’s vast institutional capacity, noting that the country has around 3,600 intellectual property inspectors compared with only a handful in Bangladesh.
Commerce Secretary Ataur Rahman Khan, however, rejected suggestions that Bangladesh lacks negotiation capacity, saying improving trade negotiation skills is a continuous process. He said the government plans to launch a new technical assistance project this year, which will continue through 2030 to strengthen the country’s negotiating capabilities. Make a 100-word report with numerical numbers, names and facts.
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The writer:
Asif Showkat Kallol: Works for the German-based online outlet The Mirror Asia as Head of News and is a Contributor at Pressenza-Dhaka Bureau.
