Renowned economist and academician Prof Rehman Sobhan has described Bangladesh as a trade-dependent country, rather than an aid-dependent one, urging the United States to enhance trade and invest more in Bangladesh and other countries in Asia.

In its early days, US aid had accounted for 10-12% of Bangladesh’s GDP, he told a virtual event titled “Bangladesh-US Relations: Opportunities and Challenges,” organized by the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, a think tank, on Tuesday.

But, he added, at present aid from the US accounts for only 2-3% – $750-800 million – which is roughly equivalent to the tariff Bangladeshi RMG exporters have to pay for their products.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/foreign-affairs/2021/01/26/bangladesh-now-a-trade-dependent-country-not-an-aid-dependent-one