Leaving aside their mutual refugee issue, Myanmar and Bangladesh have decided to make a joint effort to appeal for the grant of GSP privilege in the US markets.
Both countries, given the volume of exports to the US, should enjoy the GSP status in the US markets, but neither enjoy such a privilege.
In this regard, Myanmar has urged Bangladesh to make a joint effort for seeking United States GSP. This was evident when Khine Khine Nwe Rosaline, Secretary General of Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association said during an event in Dhaka, “Now there are many challenges in the world. TTP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) is coming. Why don’t we work together? We can fight together for US GSP,” The move is expected as a measure to counter US-led TPP.
Also Read – Apparel exports from Myanmar to US allowed temporarily
The interaction on the garment sector networking was part of the Bangladesh German Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (BGCCI) conference on global social responsibility. Myanmar exports $1.8 billion and has set a $10-billion-mark target for the next 10 years, while Bangladesh eyes doubling current exports to $50 billion by 2020.
According to Rosaline, “Working together can ultimately help build good relations between the countries; both countries must be “fully equipped” with proper business rules before embarking on a joint endeavour.”
The Rohingya refugee issue has been a long-standing one, with the Myanmarese government denying citizenship to the Muslim minorities, who fled the sectarian violence in the Rakhine province and took shelter in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is looking for a gateway to Southeast Asia through Myanmar, and is now trying to work out an arrangement with its neighbour by setting the refugee issue aside.
