The third and final round of trade negotiations between Bangladesh and the United States over a proposed 35 per cent reciprocal tariff began on a positive note, according to Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman.

Speaking to reporters from Washington on Wednesday morning, commerce seretary described the first day of talks, held on 29 July, as fruitful and said the US side responded positively during in-person discussions.

‘Their invitation to engage face-to-face, along with the tone of our conversation, makes us optimistic that the tariffs imposed on Bangladesh could be reduced,’ he said.

While no firm commitment has yet been made, Mahbub noted that the US Trade Representative’s Office typically refrains from making any definitive statements until decisions are formally announced.

Nevertheless, he said the overall response during the talks hinted at a favourable outcome.

‘We are hopeful of a significant reduction in the tariff. It’s too early to predict the exact figure, but we are cautiously optimistic,’ Mahbub said.

He said that discussions would continue on the second day of negotiations, with expectations of a positive conclusion.

The first day’s session began at 12:30pm Washington time (10:30pm Dhaka time) and concluded at 5:30pm (3:30am Dhaka time on Wednesday).

According to Golam Mortoza, Press Minister at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, the second day’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00am local time.

The Bangladeshi delegation is being led by Commerce Adviser SK Bashir Uddin and includes National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, and Additional Secretary Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury.

Some officials also joined the discussions virtually. On the US side, Assistant Trade Representative Brendan Lynch led the team, supported by officials responsible for trade and tariff matters.

The Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington, DC, is coordinating the negotiations.

The high-level Bangladeshi team departed Dhaka for Washington on Monday evening ahead of the final round of talks concerning the tariffs announced by former President Donald Trump on July 8.

The 35 per cent duty on Bangladeshi exports is scheduled to take effect from August 1.

While a number of Bangladeshi business leaders have also travelled to Washington, they are not participating directly in the negotiations.

Instead, they are seeking to engage in business-to-business (B2B) discussions with American firms.

Earlier attempts to resolve the tariff issue, including the second round of talks which concluded on July 11, ended without consensus. At present, Bangladeshi exports to the US face tariffs ranging from 15 to 16 per cent.

The Trump administration has recently adjusted tariffs on other countries in the region, including Indonesia and Vietnam, which now face duties of 19 and 20 per cent respectively.