The Pulse | Diplomacy | South Asia

What Can Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman Gain From His Upcoming US Visit?

In Beijing, he met President Xi. Without a meeting with Trump or clear economic gains, the U.S. visit could fall short of Dhaka’s expectations.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman shakes hands with U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor during the latter’s visit to Bangladesh on Jul. 30-Aug. 1, 2026.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is traveling to the United States on September 21 to attend the U.N. General Assembly meeting.

Since February, when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power, Rahman has visited Malaysia and China. This is his third international visit as prime minister.

Meanwhile, he didn’t join the BRICS summit in New Delhi. Officials said that Rahman was invited as BIMSTEC chair, not as prime minister of Bangladesh. As a result, he avoided the BRICS event.

U.S. President Donald Trump praised Rahman recently and thanked him for buying 25 Boeing aircraft. “Boeing will not let you down, and I will not forget,” Trump wrote in an August 31 letter to the prime minister. He also said he looked forward to meeting Rahman.

What is Rahman likely to achieve from his U.S. visit? Can he meet President Trump like he met Chinese President Xi Jinping? Officials are discussing a possible Trump meeting. The visit also gives Rahman a chance to seek U.S. investment and better trade terms following his talks in Beijing.

Bangladesh exported $7.74 billion in ready-made garments to the United States in FY 2025–26. This compares to the $1.3 billion of Bangladeshi goods that China imported across all categories in calendar year 2025. Although the figures cover different periods and product categories, they illustrate the importance of American buyers to Bangladesh.

Chinese loans and investment can help Bangladesh expand its industries and infrastructure, but China cannot replace the U.S. as a major export market. Beijing’s economic interests in Bangladesh also include Belt and Road Initiative projects and opportunities for Chinese companies.

Rahman has already outlined how China fits into his plans. At an investment forum in Beijing on June 25, he invited Chinese manufacturers to establish operations in Bangladesh and use the country to serve overseas markets. He also announced plans for an investment office in China. He pointed to Bangladesh’s suitability for production of goods for foreign buyers.

Rahman’s China visit also brought commitments on the Chinese economic zone in the port city of Chittagong, the modernization of Mongla port and work on the Teesta megaproject.

China and Bangladesh also agreed to hold strategic talks and explore a “2 2” dialogue, bringing together foreign and defense ministry officials. They also agreed to expand military exchanges, visits, and training.

Rahman is trying to deepen economic ties with both Washington and Beijing. The challenge is that some of the terms attached to closer cooperation with one could limit how far Bangladesh can go with the other.

The reciprocal trade agreement signed on February 9 gives Rahman a problem to address. Signed by the interim government just three days before the general election that brought Rahman’s BNP to power, it drew objections over both its terms and its timing. In April, independent parliamentarian Rumeen Farhana demanded parliamentary scrutiny, arguing that the decision should have waited for an elected government.

The February agreement reduced the U.S. reciprocal tariff on Bangladeshi goods from 20 to 19 percent. It also created a mechanism under which a specified volume of Bangladeshi garments made using U.S. cotton or man-made fiber could be exempted from the reciprocal tariff, although regular import duties could still apply.

In return, Bangladesh committed to facilitating about $15 billion in U.S. energy purchases over 15 years and an estimated $3.5 billion in agricultural purchases. The agricultural commitments include at least 700,000 tons of wheat annually for five years, at least $1.25 billion or 2.6 million tons of soy and soy products over one year, as well as purchases of U.S. cotton.

The February agreement could also complicate Bangladesh’s ties with China. It says that Washington could end the trade deal if Bangladesh signed an agreement giving special trade benefits to a “non-market country,” a term understood to include China. This does not ban Chinese investment in Bangladesh. But it could leave Rahman facing a difficult choice: pursue a trade agreement with Beijing and risk........

© The Diplomat