Bangladesh Moves Toward US on Data Protection, Cotton Exports

An official from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative told Bangladesh "that supporting workers’ rights, including freedom of association and collective bargaining, is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration," according to a USTR readout of the Sept. 20 U.S.-Bangladesh Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement Council meeting.

The U.S. told the Bangladesh delegates their country should crack down on violence against union organizers and employers that discriminate against unions.

The delegations in Dhaka also discussed intellectual property protection, a new draft of a data protection bill that the U.S. says is better, and biotechnology in agriculture. "The United States applauded Bangladesh’s actions to remove the long-standing cotton fumigation requirement for U.S. cotton exports," the readout said.