Dhaka, Nov. 11 -- Bangladesh-China bilateral trade in commercial services increased more than four times over the last two decades, although the volume of trade in commercial services is far below that of merchandise. At present, trade in commercial services with China accounts for less than one-tenth of trade in goods.

Statistics compiled by the World Trade Organization (WTO) showed that the bilateral trade in commercial services amounted to only $332 million in 2005. It crossed the $1 billion mark for the first time in 2014, reaching $1.06 billion. After reaching a peak of $2.03 billion in 2021, the trade in commercial services fell to $1.73 billion in 2023.

On the other hand, the bilateral trade in goods with China, however, stood at...