US-Bangladesh Trade Deal Meets a ‘Unity of Silence’ in Dhaka

The US-Bangladesh trade deal has produced a strange political calm. Rival parties agree on little these days. Yet on this deal they share what one economist calls a “unity of silence”.

What the US-Bangladesh trade deal contains

The US-Bangladesh trade deal was signed in February 2026. Washington set a reciprocal tariff of 19 percent on Bangladeshi goods. Some products can reach a zero rate under a textile mechanism.

That mechanism carries a catch. Zero-tariff apparel is tied to the use of United States cotton and fibre. In effect, Dhaka must buy American inputs to sell duty-free.

Bangladesh gave a lot in return. It opened its market to US machinery, vehicles, medical devices and farm goods. It pledged 3.5 billion dollars in American agriculture and 15 billion in energy over fifteen years.

Economist Anu Muhammad has criticised the quiet. He says parliament’s parties differ on almost everything else. On this deal, he argues, they maintain a telling silence.

A fresh pressure has now arrived. Washington has proposed extra tariffs on about sixty countries, Bangladesh among them. The trigger is forced-labour risk in industrial supply chains.

Countries that enforce a forced-labour import ban face a lighter penalty. For them the US proposed a ten percent additional duty. Bangladesh’s reciprocal agreement puts it in that category.

The stakes for garments are huge. Ready-made clothing drives Bangladesh’s export economy. A shift of a few tariff points can move billions of dollars.

Critics say the deal trades sovereignty for access. Supporters say it locks in a vital market after the loss of trade perks. Both sides rarely make their case in public.

This site has urged plain talk on the economy before, especially after the ADB growth downgrade. The trade deal deserves the same scrutiny. Silence is not a strategy.

The coming months will test the terms. Exporters want clarity on the new tariff threat. Voters deserve a debate their leaders keep avoiding.

Fact basis: Al Jazeera and the White House-USTR reciprocal trade framework (Feb 2026), cross-checked with The Daily Star on the proposed 10 percent forced-labour tariff and economists’ commentary (18 July 2026).