UK wants free, fair polls in Bangladesh, govt-opposition dialogue: Salman F Rahman

The United Kingdom wants free and fair elections in Bangladesh and dialogue between the government and the opposition parties, Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman said yesterday.

"Although 90% of the talks were about trade and business, politics was discussed while talking about the Rohingya issue. The UK wants free and fair elections. They talked about dialogue with opposition parties," he said following a meeting with UK Minister for International Trade Nigel Huddleston.

Salman, however, said the government will sit for dialogue with the BNP if the party agrees to take part in the upcoming national elections.

"A dialogue can be held with them on how to make elections fairer and better. The caretaker government system has been cancelled by the High Court, and there will be no dialogue on it with the BNP," he added.

"We have strengthened the Election Commission. Our EC is independent," the adviser said, adding that the government is committed to holding fair elections, and the fact that many city corporation elections have been free and fair is proof of that.

Salman said there will be an expansion of trade with the United Kingdom.

"There has been talk about buying Airbus from the UK. After GSP, the DCTS scheme will open up new possibilities for Bangladesh-UK trade. Along with large industries, small and medium entrepreneurs will also benefit from the tariff benefits," he added.

UK minister for collaboration in education, aviation

Nigel Huddleston said his country's new trading scheme for developing nations offers simpler and more generous rules of origin, which will greatly benefit Bangladesh.

At the same time, he sought Bangladesh's cooperation in several areas.

The UK minister said this during a meeting with Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi at a city hotel on Wednesday, according to a senior official in the ministry.

"Firstly, the UK desires Bangladesh to allow its universities to open campuses in the country, fostering educational collaboration between the two nations. Also, the UK wants Bangladesh to expand cooperation in the aviation and defence sector," the official quoted Nigel Huddleston as saying.

"Thirdly, the UK emphasises the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and encourages Bangladesh to extend its cooperation in this area," he added.

In light of Bangladesh's upcoming graduation from LDC status, Minister Huddleston assured Bangladesh of the UK's support in overcoming the challenges that lie ahead.

"The UK stands ready to offer assistance, both financially and technically, to help Bangladesh navigate this transitional period successfully," said the official, requesting not to be named.

Bangladesh's merchandise exports to the UK have been increasing steadily, and they stood at $5.3 billion in FY2022-23, up from $4.8 billion a year ago. The country's imports from the UK were $380 million in the first 11 months till May and could be around $450 million at the end of the fiscal year, said the official.

At the meeting, Huddleston explained why Bangladesh's exports could shoot up in the UK after the new trading scheme, which came into force last month.

He said Bangladeshi exporters now benefit from simpler and more generous rules of origin, which means that they are able to produce goods using components from many more countries and still export these with zero tariffs to the UK. The value addition criteria have also been brought down to 25% from the previous 30% in the EU's EBA rules.

On the other hand, Tipu Munshi said the UK is currently the third largest export destination for Bangladesh, and there is enormous scope to boost trade, investment, and economic relations.

Munshi said the strategic location of Bangladesh offers tremendous potential to be the economic hub of the region. "With India, China, and Southeast Asia, Bangladesh is in the middle of a combined market of 4 billion people," said the minister.

The commerce minister also urged the British minister to explore investment opportunities in Bangladesh, where there is a market of 170 million consumers, including 40 million high- and middle-income people.

In reply, Minister Huddleston said the UK has a strong relationship with Bangladesh, and trade between the countries has grown significantly over the past year. 

He said the UK is keen to work with Bangladesh for mutual prosperity that will address barriers to market access and trade.