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US Ambassador Earl R Miller on Wednesday said increased economic engagement with Bangladesh will be one of their top priorities in the coming years and termed Bangladesh a significant market for them having 170 million people.
"I hope to see more American companies engaging in Bangladesh and more Bangladeshi companies engaging in the United States," he said while sharing his priority areas during his tenure in Bangladesh.
The US envoy was talking to reporters after the regular luncheon meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) at a city hotel. AmCham president Nurul Islam moderated the event, reports UNB.
Ambassador Miller said the US companies and US businesses are doing well in Bangladesh."We can do so much better. So, I look to work with the people of Bangladesh and the government of Bangladesh to bring in more trade delegations, more trade missions and more CEOs."
"I'm very encouraged by the first meeting I had with the quality of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh with the quality of the American companies those already here. I want to double this number and triple this number," Miller said adding two more words - 'Joy Bangla'.
Earlier, the US envoy said he is proud that the US is the single largest export destination for Bangladesh. The value of two-way trade is more than $7.47 billion in a year and the balance of trade is heavily tilted towards Bangladesh which was more than $6billion last year in favour of Bangladesh.
The trade is projected to be even higher between the two countries in the future as US export to Bangladesh increased 100 percent year-on-year in 2017.
"I intend to make US business one of mission's top priorities," the ambassador said adding that he will work here to remove unnecessary or arbitrary regulations, cumbersome customs procedures and corruption that affect the economic growth of Bangladesh.
The US envoy said Bangladesh has been making a great strive to strengthen the workplace safety with the help of Accord and Alliance, but needs to do more, especially in the area of labour rights.