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FTAs instrumental to sustained growth https://businesspostbd.com/post/30863
M S Siddiqui
06 Oct 2021 00:00:00 | Update: 06 Oct 2021 02:03:25
Bangladesh has a preferential trade agreement with Bhutan but yet to sign a
bilateral free trade area agreement with any country.
The regional trade area includes Preferential Trade Area (PTAs) namely: (1) Asia-
Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA); (2) Trade Preferential System among OIC
Countries (TPS-OIC); (3) Preferential Trade Agreement among D-8 Member
States (D-8); (4) preferential Trade Agreement between Bangladesh and Iran; and
(5) Agreement on SAARC Preferential Trading arrangement (SAPTA).
It has also signed Free Trade Area (FTA): (i) South Asian Free Trade Area
(SAFTA) and (ii) Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC-EC). Among the FTAs mentioned above,
SAFTA is in operational while the BIMSTEC is yet to be functional.
The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), previously named the Bangkok
Agreement, signed in 1975 as an initiative of ESCAP. Bangladesh, China, India,
Lao PDR, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka are the parties to the
APTA. ESCAP functions as the secretariat for the Agreement. APTA is a
preferential tariff arrangement that aims at promoting intra-regional trade through
exchange of mutually agreed concessions by member countries. With the entry of
China in 2001 made APTA, the only RTA linking the two fastest-growing
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economies of the world China and India. One of the most distinguished gains for
Bangladesh is to get access to the two most populous and fastest growing countries
in the region and also to opportunities to trade in major world markets, such as the
Republic of Korea, and in newly developing markets in South Asia, such as well as
Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh is now enjoying some benefits from the rules of origin criteria of
APTA are:(1) In case of single country content, value addition requirement is 35
per cent for LDCs and 45 per cent for non-LDCs, and (2) In case of regional
accumulation, local content requirement in 50 per cent for LDCs and 60 per cent
for non-LDCs. Bangladesh will graduate from LDC in 2026 and these facilities
will cease after few years.
Bangladesh and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to study of
feasibility of FTA during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Dhaka visit in 2016. In
September 2016, China had formally proposed conducting the study to examine
the suitability of formation of a free-trade area. China will provide necessary funds
for the study. A senior official told a local newspaper that the “signed” document
couldn’t yet reach the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MoFA) as reported on 4th February 2017 by a local newspaper. Thus, the
MoC could not go forward with the feasibility study. Contacted over phone, a top
MoC official said though the MoU was signed, Bangladesh has reservation on FTA
with any country at this stage considering the possible impact on revenue earnings
and interests of local industry.
In a 2017-study by CUTS, an Indian think tank, observed that India, China and
Bangladesh do not have any common products in the list of their top ten exporting
products and, also, the degree of commonality and competition is very low. But,,
the study mentioned that India should worry about this proposed FTA between
Bangladesh and China. India's traditional ties with Bangladesh may be at stake
from this agreement because its share of trade in Bangladesh may be captured by
China sooner or later. Additionally, in future China's import demand of textiles and
other products, most of which Bangladesh is exporting largely, may be further met
by Bangladesh and, hence, the demand for Indian products of the same category in
the Chinese market may decline.
Despite some confusion and contradiction, at last, a meeting scheduled in
November 2017 to discuss about joint feasibility study to held in Beijing to
identify the benefits and impacts that might accrue from the FTA. Bangladesh
delegation finally did not go to Beijing for the meeting and reason not yet known.
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According to sources at the commerce ministry, Bangladesh took a go-slow policy
but the reason not explained by the authority. The change of mind of the authority
is a major policy change of the government.
In different occasions, the officials also express fear that Bangladesh’s local
industry would be hit hard if FTA is signed with a country like China having huge
production capacity at a very competitive price. They said interests of exporters,
importers, domestic industry, and consumers ought to be kept in balance before
signing any preferential deal with any country.
On the other hand, Bangladesh has Regional FTA with India under SAFTA.
Bangladesh now conducting a feasibility study for a Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (Cepa) with neighboring India. The Bangladesh Foreign
Trade Institute (BFTI) is conducting the feasibility study for the government.
There is another report stating that on 9th September 2021, a meeting of the Sub-
Committee on Preferential Market Access and Trade Agreement – one of the
several sub-committees formed by the Prime Minister's Office to prepare for the
possible post-LDC graduation challenges and discussed about possible FTA with
Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, ASEAN, Canada, the United
States, the Eurasian Economic Union, and Mercosur, a South American trade bloc
– apart from India and China. Russia has also proposed to Bangladesh to sign a
protocol on trade cooperation, which is currently being reviewed by the commerce
ministry.
Again, there is a change of stand of government. According to a report at a daily
newspaper on 2nd October, 2021, the government is considering Free Trade Area
(FTAs) with China and India as part of its endeavor to strengthen ties with major
trading partners to face post-LDC graduation challenges. The government is
considering FTAs as a tool to maintain the competitiveness in the export market in
the end.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimated that exports
may fall by 5.5 percent to 7.5 percent after the graduation. The country should not
only try to sign FTAs, but also lobby with major countries and trade blocs for
signing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which include trade,
tourism and investment. Successful implementation of FTA can play a vital role in
investment flows, not only from non-member countries but also from other
countries.
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Unfortunately, the signing of the much-needed Free Trade Area agreements
(FTAs) with the important trading partners is still far away as authorities have fear
of losing 'income' from customs duty and safeguard some import substitute
industries. Bangladesh will have to be ready and continue lobbying with the major
trading partners for the FTAs to be competitive after graduating to developing
country and to face competitors having FTA with seller of raw materials and buyer
finish products countries.
Global experience proved that bilateral FTAs have been becoming instrumental in
the global trading system. There are more than 200 such deals worldwide and all of
our competitors are ahead of us and reap the benefits of FTA. Bangladesh also
needs FTA with China and India simultaneously due to geo-political reality. The
concern Ministries should not give contradictory statements and policy makers
should come up with firm decision on FTA with these two major trading partners.
The higher authority may give direction to the concerned departments to reform
their rules of trade and taxation policy as early as possible to facilitate FTA.
The writer is a legal economist. He can be contacted