DHAKA -- Bangladesh is discussing free trade agreements with 11 countries, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in an exclusive interview, as the South Asian country seeks new means to promote exports once preferential tariff exemptions expire in three years.
The prime minister spoke with Nikkei Asia at her official residence in Dhaka ahead of a visit to Japan -- her first in four years -- that starts next Tuesday. During the trip, Hasina and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to agree to upgrade bilateral ties to a "strategic comprehensive partnership." This comes as Japan ramps up infrastructure investment in the strategically situated country on the shores of the Indian Ocean, countering China's Belt and Road Initiative.
