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Friday, 30th October 2026
Bangladesh Seeks Lower Thai Tariffs, Increased Imports of Pharmaceuticals and Jute Products to Narrow Trade Gap
30 October 2026 23:10 PM
NEWS DESK
Bangladesh has proposed increasing Thai imports of Bangladeshi pharmaceuticals, jute and jute products, alongside reducing tariffs on Bangladeshi goods in the Thai market, as part of efforts to narrow the bilateral trade deficit.
The proposals were made at the fourth Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and Thailand, held on Friday at Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladesh's delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, while Thailand's delegation was headed by its Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Eksiri Pintaruchi.
The meeting reviewed various areas of bilateral cooperation, including trade, investment, connectivity, energy, agriculture, manpower, defence, education and climate change.
Thailand expressed willingness to consider Bangladesh's proposals and showed interest in expediting negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Both sides also welcomed the launch of direct shipping services between Chattogram and Ranong ports. The route, launched last September, is expected to reduce cargo transportation time from 15 days to just four days.
Bangladesh also sought Thai assistance in agricultural processing, technology transfer for halal food production, renewable energy and skilled workforce training.
Dhaka further requested Bangkok's support for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar's Rakhine State.
The two countries also discussed establishing a joint committee under their respective interior ministries to combat cross-border human trafficking, arms smuggling, online scams and drug trafficking.
As Bangladesh and Thailand prepare to celebrate the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year, both sides expressed hope for exchanges of visits at the leadership level.
They also agreed to strengthen cultural and sports exchanges to further deepen people-to-people ties between the two countries.
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