Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned that Bangladesh may face additional US tariffs as the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) considers new measures under Section 301 of the Trade Act, potentially increasing trade costs and creating further uncertainty for exporters.
In its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) July 2026, ADB said the proposed tariffs would raise the effective US tariff rate on developing Asia and the Pacific from 24.8% to 25.9%, with South Asia expected to see a 1.2 percentage-point increase.
The report noted that the USTR has proposed additional tariffs on Bangladesh and several other economies following investigations into the enforcement of bans on goods produced with forced labour. Under the proposal, countries with limited enforcement or without reciprocal trade arrangements with the US could face additional duties of up to 12.5% on exports.
ADB cautioned that although trade policy uncertainty has eased slightly in recent months, the outcome of ongoing USTR investigations could lead to further tariff actions, posing new challenges for Bangladesh’s export sector and regional trade
