Canada trade rep visits Dhaka for investment talks

Staff Reporter :

Canada’s Indo-Pacific Trade Representative, Paul Thoppil, arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday, leading a business delegation on a four-day visit aimed at exploring avenues for enhanced trade and investment cooperation.

According to a press release, Thoppil is scheduled to hold meetings with key members of Bangladesh’s Interim Government, senior stakeholders, and private sector leaders. The visit comes at a pivotal time as Bangladesh navigates democratic reforms and prepares for upcoming national elections.

During his stay, Thoppil will reaffirm Canada’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and support for Bangladesh’s development trajectory.

He will also highlight Canada’s broader regional engagement under its Indo-Pacific Strategy and explore opportunities to deepen economic collaboration between the two nations.

The Canadian delegation will conduct field visits to prominent private sector zones that reflect the depth of the existing trade relationship and enduring people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Canada and Bangladesh share a steadily expanding trade and investment partnership. Canada is a significant exporter of wheat, pulses, cereals, and machinery to Bangladesh, while also being a major importer of Bangladeshi textiles and garments.

Both countries are actively pursuing further collaboration in key sectors such as information technology, aerospace, agriculture, and clean energy, the statement added.