Bangladesh is pressing the US to restore GSP facilities and allow duty and quota-free access to American market. Bangladesh feels it has made progress in ensuring workers’ rights and safety with the government committed to making apparels a clean, dignified and productive sector.

Bangladesh feels that as an LDC it does not enjoy any special or differential treatment from the US in terms of trade while preferential treatment is enjoyed by Trans-Pacific partners who might chip away the competitive edge of a country like Bangladesh in the US market.

Bangladesh apparels are subject to high tariff in the US while these apparels are exported at zero tariff to almost all other developed countries in the world. Following a continuous negative growth in 2014 Bangladesh’s readymade garment exports to the US started to rebound in January to March 2015.

Vietnam is Bangladesh’s main competitor in the apparel trade. Bangladesh’s garment exports to the American market are not expected to be affected by the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership. The reason: the country is performing well now even after paying a higher duty than Vietnam. Currently, Bangladesh is the sixth largest garment exporter to the US and Vietnam is the third largest.