Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday stressed the need for having adequate policy support from the USA government to expand bilateral trade between the two countries. “It’s important that both the countries provide adequate policy support to further expand bilateral trade,” she said while addressing the virtual launching of the US-Bangladesh Business Council in a pre-recorded video message. The Prime Minister mentioned that Bangladesh buys a considerable amount of industrial raw materials and consumer items like cotton, soybean and wheat from the United States.  “All these items enjoy zero tariff in Bangladesh,” she added. Regarding development, she said the United States has remained as a strong partner in Bangladesh’s journey towards democracy and development. “It’s [US] the largest destination of our exports, the largest source of foreign direct investment, a longstanding development partner and an important source of technology and training.” The Prime Minister said while Bangladesh’s dependence on foreign aid has come down substantially, the need for foreign direct investment increased to create jobs for millions of youths.  Also read: Will work together with Bangladesh, global partners against Covid-19 pandemic: Miller

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been filed to bridge the gap between the ICT Industries of Bangladesh and Malaysia to explore and develop the opportunities on Saturday.