The leader of Bangladesh’s interim government wrote a letter to US President Donald Trump asking him to postpone tariffs as well as pledging to increase its import of US goods, according to global news reports.
Yunus explained that a three-month delay to implementing the tariffs would enable Bangladesh to “smoothly implement its initiative to substantially increase US exports to Bangladesh”.
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However, Trump is not considering a pause on new tariffs, despite the financial impact it is having on global markets. But, he does maintain he wants to have negotiations with other countries.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) had not responded to Just Style’s request for comment ahead of going to press.
Bangladesh is widely regarded as the world’s second largest supplier of fashion, sitting only behind China.
In January it was the third largest supplier of fashion imports to the US by volume, according to the US’ Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), with China and Vietnam sitting in first and second place.
The country experienced a challenging 2024 which saw several garment worker and student protests ahead of its longstanding prime minister resigning, however it is now moving forward with an interim government.
The global fashion industry is concerned about the impact of tariffs as goods coming from anywhere in the world into the US were subjected to at least a 10% tariff from 5 April and further reciprocal tariffs being added to dozens of others, including key fashion trading partners.
