The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), final agreement on which has been reached recently, is going to benefit Vietnam, observed Ahsan H Mansur, Executive Director of Policy Research Institute, who however could not quantify how much Bangladesh will lose every year as a result of this deal. At present, Bangladesh pays 15.62 per cent duty for its garment exports to the US, whereas Vietnam pays 8.38 per cent. “If Bangladesh had been a strong player in raw material exports such as yarn, fabrics and fibres, it would have benefited slightly from the deal,” Mansur said. Once implemented, TPP would create a preferential trade zone between 11 countries including Vietnam, Bangladesh’s direct competitor in the global apparel market.
