Mr. Hung said that a trade defense lawsuit is a measure allowed by the WTO to investigate or review products imported into the market that have or show signs of dumping, subsidies and tax evasion. This is a normal trade practice that all Vietnamese export industries can face and live with. At the same time, suing trade remedies is not an imposition but must be based on the laws and regulations of the WTO and if there is enough basis and evidence, Vietnamese businesses and Vietnamese products can overcome it and live well.
Mr. Do Ngoc Hung, Vietnam Trade Counselor in the United States – Photo: Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Vietnam Trade Counselor in the United States said that: The United States has been Vietnam’s largest export market in recent years, and moreover, Vietnam has always had a trade surplus with the United States.
According to statistics from the International Trade Center of the US Department of Commerce announced a few days ago, in the first 10 months of 2023, Vietnam’s total export turnover to the US reached 94.5 billion USD and imports of the United States is about 8 billion USD.
Mr. Hung said that so far, Vietnam’s export rate to the United States decreased by about 13% compared to 2022, but the amplitude as well as the narrowing of the growth rate decreased significantly. Thus, Vietnam is regaining momentum in exports to the United States in the first 10 months of 2023 of about 80.6 billion USD. Vietnam is the third country exporting to the United States after China and Mexico and is a trading partner. 7th trade with the United States.
Therefore, trade defense measures always go hand in hand with export activities, so as exports increase, the risk of being sued also increases. The United States is a member of the WTO and is a country that regularly investigates all goods with Vietnam, including anti-dumping, anti-subsidy…
Information about the case of shrimp exported to the United States being sued, Counselor Do Ngoc Hung said that currently the US Department of Commerce has investigated subsidies based on the plaintiffs’ records, from items with low value, investment incentives, preferential bank interest rates and trade promotion programs.
Unlike other trade defense investigation cases, during the investigation process, the United States requested the Government to provide information. For businesses, the US Department of Commerce requires information on whether they enjoy preferential policies or not? Thereby, the case allows businesses to choose and seriously consider the case that the Trade Remedies Department has raised and fully cooperate with the Investigation agency of the US Department of Commerce. Normally this case will last from 12 to 15 months.
In addition to honey, pangasius and shrimp were the first products to be investigated for anti-dumping by the United States, so since then, every year Vietnamese pangasius and basa fish have been requested by the United States. review for anti-dumping investigation.
“For shrimp currently, Vietnamese businesses have to go through 18 major reviews, and for pangasius, there are 19 reviews. For Vietnamese shrimp, on October 25, the DOC received an anti-subsidy lawsuit. for this product, on November 21, DOC posted an official notice of anti-dumping investigation with 40 programs under investigation. This is a quite large case, attracting many people’s attention,” Commercial Counselor Vietnam in the United States information.
