Bangladesh US deal links trade with oversight

DHAKA – Bangladesh’s garment sector has gained a conditional competitive edge into the US just as voters decide today on the country’s political future – but must do so under tighter, not looser, expectations on labour, environmental performance and traceability.

The new US trade deal with Bangladesh will see zero tariffs for a tranche of textile and apparel goods made in Bangladesh using US cotton and man‑made fibres and exported to the US, under a special mechanism negotiated over the past nine months.