February 17, 20237min549
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan paid a courtesy call on Ambassador of China to Bangladesh H. E. Yao Wen at the Embassy.
BGMEA Director Tanvir Ahmed and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell Shams Mahmud also present at the meeting held on13 February 2023.
Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the embassy Song Yang was also present at the meeting.
They discussed potential opportunities of expanding bilateral trade between Bangladesh and China.
Their discussion also included how both countries could derive more mutual trade benefits through further collaboration, especially in the area of apparel and textile industry.
They also talked about sharing of knowledge and expertise in the apparel and textile industry through collaboration between BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT) and leading Chinese textile and fashion universities and institutes.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan highlighted Bangladesh RMG industry’s target of US$ 100 billion garment export earnings by 2030.
In pursuance of the vision, Bangladesh’s apparel industry was increasingly focusing on diversifying from cotton to non-cotton and high-value items in order to move up the value chain, he said.
“The shift will increase the demand for manmade fiber-based fabrics, chemicals and other raw materials, and China is a big source of all of these items and can meet the demand of Bangladesh. Besides, China is a leading exporter of garment and textile machinery,” he also said.
“On the other hand, China is a promising market for Bangladesh’s RMG exports,” he added.
“So there lies a huge scope of widening collaboration and strengthening partnership between Bangladesh and China, which will greatly benefit both countries,” Faruque Hassan said.
The BGMEA President expressed thanks to the Chinese government for allowing Bangladesh duty-free access to the Chinese market for RMG exports.
He called on the Chinese envoy to extend more cooperation and support to Bangladeshi businessmen in obtaining visas to facilitate their trading with China and Hong Kong.
He also requested the Chinese government to increase the number of flights between Bangladesh and China and sought support of the envoy in this regard.
He informed the Chinese Ambassador that the Bangladesh Apparel Summit would be organized in Hong Kong in 21 March 2023.
Faruque Hassan sought the cooperation of the embassy in easing consular services to Bangladeshi traders, especially in getting visas for visiting Hong Kong for Business Purposes and also for attending the Summit.