CII views 'Bangladesh First' policy as aligned with India’s goals
India’s leading industry body, CII, has said it sees strong alignment between the new Government of Bangladesh’s “Bangladesh First” strategy and India’s own development experience, underscoring vast opportunities for deeper economic partnership.
Speaking during an interaction with visiting Bangladesh media delegation at the headquarters of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi, Indian industry veteran Pankaj Tandon said the current phase in Bangladesh-India relations was crucial not only for sustaining existing ties but also for shaping the next stage of economic partnership to support Bangladesh’s long-term growth and competitiveness.
The media delegation is currently visiting India.
“We see strong alignment between the new Government of Bangladesh’s ‘Bangladesh First’ approach and India’s own development experience,” he said.
At its core, Tandon said, Bangladesh First emphasizes domestic capacity building, job creation, productivity enhancement, export diversification, digital transformation and long-term resilience.
“Importantly, this is not an inward-looking strategy. It is about strengthening national capabilities through well-designed partnerships,” he added.
Describing Bangladesh as India’s largest trading partner in South Asia, Tandon said India remained Bangladesh’s second-largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade standing at around USD13.5 billion in the 2024-25 fiscal.
He said economic cooperation remained the backbone of bilateral relations, adding that expanding market access, reducing non-tariff barriers and improving border infrastructure could significantly boost trade.
Tandon said Bangladesh’s industrial strength and India’s manufacturing and service sectors complement each other, creating opportunities for integrated regional value chains.
He said the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries could significantly enhance trade and investment growth by going beyond trade in goods to include services, investment facilitation, technology cooperation, standards and skills development.
Highlighting sector-specific opportunities, he said textiles and apparel would continue to remain central to Bangladesh’s economy even after its graduation from the least developed country status, while future competitiveness would increasingly depend on productivity, compliance standards, machinery and design capabilities.
He also identified medical tourism, food processing, agricultural value chains, digital economy, startups, energy cooperation and MSME linkages as promising areas for expanded collaboration.
Tandon said Indian expertise in digital public infrastructure, fintech, renewable energy, manufacturing excellence and sustainable development could support Bangladesh’s economic transformation.
He reaffirmed CII’s commitment to working closely with partner organizations in Bangladesh to deepen business-to-business engagement and strengthen economic cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
CII senior director Manish Mohan also spoke on the occasion.