The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The government has sent a list of products to three BIMSTEC developed partners for exclusion from their final negative lists of products to be presented in the next trade negotiating committee (TNC) meeting.

An official source yesterday said the 'exclusion list' of products was sent to the governments of Thailand, India and Sri Lanka on Wednesday as per the decision of the last TNC meeting held in Dhaka from September 24 to 26.

The list covers 138 products for India, 185 for Thailand and 52 for Sri Lanka.

Explaining the exclusion list, the source said it varies from country to country. And it implies that the products included in the list would not be on their negative list to negate their duty free access in their market, beyond the free trade regime.

The source said these are potential exports of Bangladesh and the BIMSTEC negotiators agreed as part of helping the development of the export basket of the less advantaged members to keep them out of the negative list of its developed partners.

The three countries would take a look now at this list while preparing their negative lists so that Bangladesh's potential export items remained unaffected from their side. This is the spirit of BIMSTEC accommodation to less developed members Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.

This exercise is part of the next TNC meeting to be held at Kuchin in Western India from December 12 to 15. All members will present their final negative list in that meeting for a last moment evaluation and adjustment.

The source said the exclusion list has been approved at an inter-ministerial meeting held on October 4 at the ministry of commerce and attended by representatives of the concerned agencies including chamber leaders representing the private sector.

The government is also preparing a 'top export priority list' of 25 products, he said adding, similar lists would be exchanged among the members before the next TNC meeting. The product list would be harmonized in that meeting striking out overlapping to reduce the number in the final list for each country.

These products would enjoy specific rules of entry, the source said adding, the government is still working on the list. So also it is working on reducing the size of the country's negative list to adjust it at 21 percent of the total number of 5,039 products now globally traded.

This target has been agreed by the TNC for the four least developed nations. For the remaining three developed members, efforts are on to adjust it below 15 percent. All members are working on it, the source said.

He said senior BIMSTEC trade officials at the secretary level would meet immediately after the next TNC meeting. This meeting to be held in Dhaka would be followed by a BIMSTEC ministerial meeting scheduled for February next year in New Delhi.

There is a widespread expectation that the ministerial meeting would adopt the finally worked out 'modality agreement' to launch the free trade block in the region covering countries of the South and South East Asia.

It would work as a bridge between SAARC and ASEAN nations, the source said.