Published : 14 Oct 2026, 06:31 PM
Updated : 14 Oct 2026, 06:31 PM
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury is looking to Washington for greater support as Bangladesh commits to buying 25 Boeing aircraft and steps up imports of American oil, wheat and other goods.
He said on Wednesday that Bangladesh had pressed Washington to step up its support.
“We strongly pressed the point in talks with the US Treasury: if support does not come now, when will it?” he said.
“Given a relationship in which Bangladesh imports so much, and is reducing the balance-of-payments gap as they have asked, this support should come. They agreed, so let us see what happens.”
He briefed reporters on Wednesday about discussions with the US Treasury on the sidelines of the ongoing annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group in Bangkok.
The talks covered the overall Bangladesh-US relationship, including American assistance with debt management.
The minister also met representatives of the US body responsible for providing grants, saying Bangladesh had not received such support in the past.
He argued that the growing commercial relationship, including purchases of aircraft, oil, soybeans and consumer goods, made the time right for Washington to step up assistance.
US President Donald Trump’s trade war last year also affected Bangladesh. To manage the pressure of his 35 percent tariff, Bangladesh began increasing imports of various American products.
The government has signed agreements in two phases to buy 25 aircraft from US manufacturer Boeing.
On Feb 9, days before the interim administration’s term ended, Dhaka and Washington signed an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade.
The BNP government subsequently backed moving the deal forward and signed the Boeing purchase agreement.
