Bangladesh, Oct. 30 -- angladesh and Malaysia concluded the first round of negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement (FTA), with both sides tentatively setting January 2027 for the next round, according to the Ministry of Commerce here. The negotiations took place in a "positive atmosphere" and focused on expanding bilateral trade, increasing mutual investment and opening new areas of cooperation in technology and the digital economy, the ministry said. Thirteen working groups reviewed draft texts and structural issues of the relevant FTA chapters.

The discussions covered trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin, customs facilitation, digital trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade and iss...