ASEAN ambassadors recently convened with ICC Bangladesh president Mahbubur Rahman to deliberate on enhancing bilateral trade and investment opportunities between Bangladesh and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

The meeting, held at the ICC Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka, emphasised the significance of collaboration.

Rahman highlighted ASEAN’s substantial market potential, with its 661 million populace and a GDP of $3.08 trillion, presenting vast opportunities for Bangladesh. However, he underscored the need to address the trade deficit, with Bangladesh’s exports to ASEAN still below $1.0 billion annually compared to imports nearing $7.0 billion.

Sheela Pillai, chair of the ASEAN Dhaka Committee & Head of Mission, commended Rahman for organising the meeting and stressed the importance of diversifying Bangladesh’s export portfolio to ASEAN nations.

Haznah Binte Md Hashim, high commissioner of Malaysia, highlighted the need to address taxation barriers to attract Malaysian investment into Bangladesh even as ICCB vice president Naser Ezaz Bijoy proposed Bangladesh as a pivotal development partner bridging South and ASEAN nations.

He urged the ambassadors to facilitate connectivity and foster business delegations’ visits for trade and investment promotion.

The meeting also saw the attendance of Leo Tito L Ausan, ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines; Md Fazlul Hoque, ICCB executive board member; Panom Thongprayoon, minister counsellor at the Royal Thai Embassy; and ICCB officials Ataur Rahman, Ajay Bihari Saha, and Syeda Shahnewaz Lotika.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DR)

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