Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) has urged China to extend comprehensive support in developing the skills, capacity, and technological advancement of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to strengthen the country’s global trade competitiveness.
The call came during a bilateral trade discussion between DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh H.E. Yao Wen, held on September 8 at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.
Taskeen Ahmed noted that Bangladesh-China bilateral trade reached USD 17.35 billion in FY2024, with imports from China standing at USD 16.64 billion and exports to China at USD 715.38 million. He said Bangladesh’s sustainable socio-economic development and smooth transition from LDC status will depend largely on deepening economic partnership with China.
The DCCI chief highlighted China’s role as Bangladesh’s largest import partner with extensive cooperation in infrastructure, energy, education, and human resource development. He also called for enhanced collaboration in agriculture, agro-processing, ICT, renewable energy, automobile, light engineering, footwear, logistics, medical equipment, API, semiconductors, and shipbuilding.
Ambassador Yao Wen informed that more than 20 Chinese companies in the RMG and textile sectors have committed nearly USD 800 million investment in Bangladesh since last year, which, once implemented, will help increase exports. He also noted growing interest among Chinese investors in Bangladesh’s electric vehicle (EV) sector, but cautioned that high tariffs and insufficient policy support remain major obstacles.
The Ambassador stressed the urgency of diversifying Bangladesh’s export basket beyond the ready-made garment sector, which currently accounts for 85 percent of total exports. He encouraged Bangladesh to explore Chinese technological cooperation to improve production capacity and competitiveness in emerging sectors.