'Bangladesh has no money': Former diplomat on Dhaka's Boeing jets purchase under US trade deal

New Delhi: On the Bangladesh-US reciprocal trade agreement, Veena Sikri, Former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, said that India should not worry. Sikri, while talking to ANI, said that though Bangladesh promised to buy Boeing jets, it doesn't have the money to pay for them.

She said, "I don't think we should be worrying at all for two reasons. First of all, the places where Bangladesh is likely to receive zero tariffs for access to the American market are linked to Bangladesh's purchases of man-made yarn, cotton yarn, and maybe even cotton from the USA. Secondly, these items were supplied by India at very competitive prices and with very quick turnaround times. So a Bangladesh exporter could actually get these goods from India within a week..."

She further added, "They (Bangladesh) are buying this huge amount of Boeing jets, but who will pay for that? They will have to get an IMF loan to pay for it or something else. Their economy will become weaker if they are going to get into all these debts."


The United States and Bangladesh on Monday signed the United States-Bangladesh Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, marking a significant step in strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations, according to a statement by the Office of the US Trade Representative.

The agreement was signed by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Bangladesh's Adviser for Commerce, Textiles and Jute, and Civil Aviation and Tourism, Sheikh Bashir Uddin. Also present at the signing were Bangladesh Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman and Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer joined Bangladesh's Adviser for Commerce, Textiles and Jute, and Civil Aviation and Tourism Sheikh Bashir Uddin in signing the United States-Bangladesh Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, a statement by the Office of the US Trade Representative said.

"Under President Trump's leadership, the United States is pursuing a trade policy that delivers real results for American workers and businesses, strengthening our economic and security partnerships abroad," the statement quoted Greer as saying.