Bangladesh becoming South Asia’s “economic bull case”: WSJ

816

DHAKA, March 4, 2021 (BSS) – Bangladesh is becoming South Asia’s “economic
bull case” as its exports have boomed over the past decade, reported Wall
Street Journal (WSJ) yesterday.

WSJ’s Hong Kong-based reporter Mike Bird has claimed that Bangladesh is
notable in South Asia for being the “closest proxy” for the successful
development models seen at various stages in South Korea, China, and Vietnam.

Bangladesh provides the world with another example that export-led
development has the best modern-day track record of moving countries from
very low-income levels into middle-income status, the report said.

It said the country’s exports have boomed over the past decade, while those
of India and Pakistan have lagged behind.

Bangladesh achieved a landmark economic status last week when the United
Nations’ Committee for Development Policy (CDP) recommended that the country
graduate from the least developed country (LDC) categorisation it has held
for most parts since its independence 50 years ago.

The report also stated that Bangladesh’s exports have risen by around 80
percent in US dollar terms in the past decade through the country’s booming
garment industry, while India and Pakistan’s exports have declined
marginally.

In 2011, Bangladesh’s GDP per capita in US dollar terms was 40 percent
below India’s. Bangladesh’s GDP per capita caught up last year due to India’s
pandemic-related slump, but the IMF expects the gap will not widen any time
soon.

The report also suggested that Bangladesh’s meteoric economic rise should
be accompanied by greater cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Bangladesh finds itself outside of multilateral Asian economic cooperation
like ASEAN, RCEP, or the CPTPP. For starters, diversifying the country’s
manufacturing exports through greater participation in intra-Asian supply
chains and closer economic relationship with neighbours in the east can
provide better results.

Citing Vietnam and Cambodia, the author suggested Bangladesh’s next step
should be transition towards higher-value forms of manufacturing and
exporting.