Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said a proposed road corridor linking Bangladesh, Myanmar and China could enable trucks to travel from Chattogram to Chinese territory in as little as 24 hours, offering substantial opportunities for regional trade and connectivity.

He said that the proposed Bangladesh‑Myanmar‑China (BMC) road link would facilitate trade not only between Bangladesh and China but also with Myanmar.

The minister made the remarks while fielding questions from journalists after attending the anniversary programme of a private dental college in Sylhet on 6 November.

Speaking about Bangladesh’s ongoing trade deficit, Muktadir noted that the nation has consistently imported more than it has exported since independence, a situation he attributed in part to the heavy reliance of many export‑oriented industries on imported raw materials.

He said the materials are processed and refined domestically before being exported as finished products, a pattern also observed in the trade structures of many other countries.

However, diversifying the country's export basket has become a major priority, the minister added.

He said Bangladesh must expand export‑oriented sectors beyond ready‑made garments, focusing on shipbuilding, non‑leather products and jute goods, to broaden its export base and improve its overall trade balance.

Regarding the proposed revision of garment workers’ wages, Muktadir said that a new minimum wage has not yet been finalised.

A wage board has been established to review workers’ pay, and the government is seeking to expedite the process so that the revised wage structure can be implemented from January.

He emphasized that a stable business environment is essential for all commercial activities, including exports and imports, amid the ongoing unrest in the garment sector.

“Business and trade never favour an uncertain environment,” he said, urging all concerned parties to place national interests above other considerations.

He said that law enforcement agencies would examine whether any individual was deliberately provoking unrest for personal or other ulterior motives.

The minister urged all stakeholders to contribute to maintaining stability in the industrial and business sectors, emphasizing that such stability serves the national interest.

Muktadir, responding to inquiries about the recent clashes between intern doctors and patients’ relatives at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital and the reported assault on journalists covering the incidents, said that healthcare is a service, not a business.

He stressed that both medical professionals and patients' relatives had responsibilities to exercise restraint and behave responsibly.

He stated that doctors, whether interns or senior physicians, were obligated to treat patients with compassion and provide proper care, while the relatives of patients also needed to remain patient.

The minister cautioned that attacks on doctors over shortcomings or limitations in healthcare services could ultimately undermine the entire healthcare system.

He said that misconduct by doctors was unacceptable, but that disorderly behaviour and attacks by patients' relatives were equally undesirable.

Expressing concern over several recent incidents at Osmani Medical College Hospital, Muktadir stated that the authorities were aware of the developments and were working to address the problems.

Bangladesh-China-Myanmar Economic Corridor / Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir

Why it matters

The proposed 24‑hour road link between Bangladesh, Myanmar and China is intended to boost regional trade and reduce logistics costs.