International Desk:
A meeting to strengthen trade ties between Bangladesh and New Zealand was held on Sunday (March 29, 2026) on the sidelines of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) held in Yaounde, Cameroon.
Bangladesh Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir and New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay participated in the meeting held at the Palais de Congres. Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Mahbubur Rahman and senior officials of both countries were present at the meeting.
The Bangladesh Commerce Minister welcomed the New Zealand minister and his delegation and emphasized the need to further strengthen economic and commercial relations between the two countries. He highlighted the goals of the newly elected government and said that Bangladesh wants to be more actively involved in the global value chain and is working to develop a business-friendly environment to achieve trade-based growth.
The Minister mentioned Bangladesh’s interest in joining the regional trade bloc RCEP and sought New Zealand’s support in this regard. He said that Bangladesh’s geographical location at the crossroads of South Asia and Southeast Asia and its growing middle class population can play an important role in Bangladesh’s inclusion in the alliance.
He added that Bangladesh has already signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan as part of its strategy for market diversification in the context of its transition from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, and negotiations are underway with Korea, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand Minister Todd McClay praised Bangladesh’s geopolitical importance and economic potential and said that Bangladesh could be a suitable partner in the RCEP alliance. He assured cooperation in coordination with other member countries for Bangladesh’s inclusion in the alliance.
He also proposed to negotiate a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh. Through this, emphasis was placed on expanding trade between the two countries and conveying a positive message to investors.
During the meeting, the Bangladesh Commerce Minister invited the New Zealand Minister to visit Bangladesh. In response, Todd McClay accepted the invitation and expressed his interest in visiting Bangladesh in the middle of this year.
At the end of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to work together to further strengthen friendly relations and explore new areas of economic cooperation of mutual interest.
