Whether the views expressed by India’s foreign secretary Sujatha Singh in her meetings with Bangladesh’s political leaders will have any positive impact on the current political impasse remains to be seen.
Whatever the outcome, if India really wants to be helpful to Bangladesh, it would do better to steer clear of our domestic politics and focus on trade relations.
Bangladeshi business is held back from a beneficial trade relationship with our next door neighbour due to unfair, often one-sided, trade barriers. Non-tariff barriers and bureaucratic obstacles seriously limit our access the vast Indian market.
Such tariffs, whatever their intentions, simply act as barriers to free trade. They are a key hindrance to Bangladesh reaching our full potential in exports to India.
The trade rules currently in place reflect a seriously asymmetrical relationship between India and Bangladesh. They protect India’s economy, while putting Bangladesh at a disadvantage. Some of the barriers amount to harassment. For example, as certificates issued by designated Bangladeshi agencies are not accepted, and the HS classification of goods are unnecessary disputed.
We are in favour of both sides coming to the table to address the issue of our lopsided trade relationship, and making it easier to conduct business across our borders. If barriers to economic activity are knocked down, we believe the Bangladeshi economy would receive a tremendous boost, while India also gains.
Free trade is a win-win situation, and artificial restrictions must be removed to allow our economies to flourish.
