In response to the 20% US tariff on Bangladeshi goods, Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman said the country had negotiated carefully to align its commitments with national interests and capacity.

“Protecting our apparel industry was a top priority, but we also focused our purchase commitments on US agricultural products. This supports our food security goals and fosters goodwill with US farming states,” he said.

“Today, we successfully avoided a potential 35% reciprocal tariff. That’s good news for our apparel sector and the millions who depend on it. We’ve also preserved our global competitiveness and opened up new opportunities to access the world`s largest consumer market,” he added.

The adviser made these remarks in response to a statement issued by the White House, which announced the imposition of the 20 percent tariff on Bangladeshi products on Thursday, following the conclusion of the third round of trade talks between Bangladesh and the United States.

Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, shared Khalilur’s remarks in a Facebook post on Friday.

Bangladesh secured a 20% tariff rate—comparable to its key apparel-sector competitors such as Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Indonesia, which received rates between 19% and 20%. As a result, Bangladesh`s relative competitiveness in apparel exports remains unaffected. By contrast, India received a 25% tariff after failing to reach a comprehensive agreement with the US, Shafiqul said.