Staff Correspondent | Published: 22:37, Mar 07,2024
The International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh holds a meeting with ambassadors of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the ICC headquarters in the capital on Thursday. — Press release photo.
The International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh leaders, in a meeting on Thursday, urged ambassadors of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to reduce trade gap between Bangladesh and ASEAN countries.
During the meeting, at ICC Bangladesh headquarter in Dhaka, president of the organisation Mahbubur Rahman said that there was a huge market for Bangladesh in ASEAN nations, according to a press release on the day.
In 2020, Bangladesh imports goods worth nearly $7.0 billion from 10 ASEAN countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Bangladesh’s exports to the ASEAN countries are still very paltry, less than $1.0 billion annum.
The ambassadors were urged to use their good offices for increasing imports from Bangladesh to reduce the trade gap.
Haji Haris Bin Othman, high commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to Bangladesh, pointed out that the agro-based products and meat were potential products for export to Brunei.
Haznah Binte Md Hashim, high commissioner of Malaysia to Bangladesh, said that Malaysia had huge investment in Bangladesh and they were looking forward to increasing investment there.
She pointed out that the tax regime in Bangladesh impeded investment from Malaysia.
ICCB vice president Naser Ezaz Bijoy said that Bangladesh could be an important development partner and acted as the bridge between South and ASEAN nations because of its location.
He hoped that the ambassadors would promote connectivity and encourage visits by business delegations from ASEAN and vice versa for promotion trade and investment in Bangladesh.
The meeting was also attended by Leo Tito L Ausan Jr, ambassador of the Philippines to Bangladesh, Md Fazlul Hoque, ICC Bangladesh executive board member, Panom Thongprayoon, minister counsellor, Royal Thai Embassy, ICC Bangladesh secretary general Ataur Rahman, ICC Bangladesh general manager Ajay Bihari Saha and deputy general manager Syeda Shahnewaz Lotika.