Malaysian High Commissioner Mohammad Shuhada Osman meets business leaders of Chittagong Chamber

Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohammad Shuhada Osman met with business leaders of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a meeting held at the Conference Hall of the World Trade Center on the afternoon of November 17. The meeting was chaired by the Chamber Administrator Mohammad Nurullah Noori and was attended by former President of Chittagong Chamber and Honorary Consul of Thailand Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, former Senior Vice President M. A. Salam, Honorary Consul of Malaysia Mohammad Akhter Parvez, Former Director of the Chamber Zahirul Islam Chowdhury Alamgir, President of the Pan Exporters Association Md. Ekramul Karim Chowdhury, MD of Park Shipping Humayun Kabir Patwary, Executive Director of Trusted Shipping Lines Ltd. Wahid Alam and Director of Women Chamber Amina Shahin spoke. Among others, Former Director of the Chamber Kamal Mustafa Chowdhury, Honorary Consul of the Philippines M. A. Awal, Secretary of Industrialist Business Development Foundation Shahjahan Mohiuddin, Director of Chittagong Garments Accessories Association Arif Hossain, President of Central Plaza Businessmen Association Mostaq Ahmed Chowdhury, Manager of BSRM Group Ifat Chowdhury and First Secretary of the High Commission Hajwan Bin Hasnul were present. The vote of thanks was delivered by the joint secretary of the chamber, Nurul Absar Chowdhury.
High Commissioner Mohammad Shuhada Osman said that last August, during the visit of the interim head of the government of Bangladesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, to Malaysia, 5 agreements were signed, which will play a role in improving bilateral relations. Moreover, Bangladesh is the second largest trading partner of Malaysia outside the ASEAN countries. In addition to the expatriates of Bangladesh, about 9 thousand students are studying in various universities in Malaysia. Business-to-business and people-to-people relations between the two countries are increasing day by day. He said that a significant number of medical tourists are going to different countries from Bangladesh. In this regard, the advanced and modern health services of Malaysia can be a new destination for Bangladeshi medical tourists.
Honorary Consul of Malaysia Mohammad Akthar Parvez said that Bangladesh can earn foreign exchange by producing and processing halal products by adopting halal certification. He said that considering the geographical location of Chittagong, new areas of investment in telecommunications, security, healthcare, manufacturing and energy sectors may be opened for businessmen from both countries.
Chamber Administrator Nurullah Noori said – As a Muslim-majority country, Bangladesh has friendly relations with Malaysia. About 37% of the total expatriates in Malaysia are Bangladeshis. As of September 2025, Malaysia exported about 206.6 million US dollars worth of goods to Bangladesh and imported only 38.2 million dollars worth of goods from Bangladesh. The trade volume of the two countries is about 3 billion dollars. However, there is a huge trade deficit between the two countries. To address this trade deficit, he called for investment in light engineering, electronics, food processing, shipping, logistics and shipbuilding industries in Mirsarai, Chittagong, taking advantage of the special investment facilities provided by the Bangladesh government.
Other speakers said that there is a sufficient demand for Malaysian palm oil in the edible oil sector of Bangladesh. They sought Malaysia’s support in the inclusion of Bangladesh in ASEAN, simplified visa procedures, and called for Malaysian investors to invest individually and jointly in the rubber and shipping sectors. At the same time, they emphasized the need for regular trade delegation visits to strengthen relations between businessmen of the two countries. The speakers also called for the launch of direct flights between Dhaka-Chittagong-Kuala Lumpur.