Dhaka, Beijing need to unite to defend WTO rules: Ambassador Yao

Referring to the US-imposed tariffs, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Wednesday said Bangladesh and China need to work to safeguard the WTO (World Trade Organization) rules and multilateral trade regime.

“That (WTO rules) is the centre to protect our common interest,” he said, adding that they support all the measures taken by Bangladesh to safeguard their legitimate interests.

The Ambassador made the remarks while responding to a question after attending a seminar in the capital.

WTO is the only international organisation dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.

The fundamental goal of the WTO, as set out in its founding agreement, is to use trade as a means to improve people’s living standards, create better jobs and promote sustainable development.

The Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB) hosted a seminar titled ‘China-Bangladesh Industrial and Supply Chain Cooperation’, during which it released its ‘Industry Reports’.

Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, along with representatives from the agencies concerned and departments of the Bangladesh government and business leaders from both countries were present.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Wednesday said Bangladesh hopes to build on the progress made during the first round of fruitful negotiations with the United States, as the second round of talks on the tariff issue is set to begin in Washington DC today (Wednesday).

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is responsible for developing and coordinating US international trade, commodity and direct investment policy and overseeing negotiations with other countries.

Starting on August 1, 2025, US President Donald Trump said they will charge Bangladesh a tariff of only 35% on any and all Bangladeshi products sent into the United States, separate from all sectoral tariffs.