US reduces dumping duties on shrimp

Farmers harvesting shrimp in southern Bac Lieu province's Vinh Trang Dong Commune_VNA/VNS photo Huynh Su

HA NOI — The US Department of Commerce has decided to cut anti-dumping tariffs it had imposed on 31 Vietnamese shrimp exporters by 0.01-0.69 percentage points.

The move followed feedback to the department's fourth administrative review conducted between February 2008 and January 2009 of shrimp imported into the US by Nha Trang Seafood Joint Stock Co, Minh Phu Seafood Co, and Minh Hai Seafood Co.

Under the revised tariffs, the duty on shrimps imported by Nha Trang will be reduced from a maximum on 5.58 per cent to 4.89 per cent. Minh Phu will see a reduction of 0.01 per cent to 2.95 per cent, while the others will be subject to a duty of 3.92 per cent, reduced from the previous 4.27 per cent.

Viet Nam urges US lower trade barriers GENEVA — The US needs to minimise trade barriers and participate more actively in the multilateral trade system, said Ambassador Vu Dung, head of Viet Nam's delegation to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international agencies in Geneva, at a session at WTO headquarters last week to review US trade policies. Dung, leading a delegation of officials from the Vietnamese ministries of Foreign Affairs and Industry and Trade, voiced concerns over US trade barriers that have resulted in anti-dumping duties against frozen shrimp, tra (pangasius) fish, and plastic bags imported from Viet Nam. Viet Nam expected the US to re-examine its imposition of anti-subsidy and anti-dumping tariffs before making decisions affecting other WTO members, Dung said. The US became Viet Nam's leading export market in recent years, importing US$11.5 billion worth of goods in 2009 – a fifth of Viet Nam's total exports. — VNS

The Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) continued to complain, however, that Vietnamese companies were subject to higher duties than Indian exporters, which paid duties no higher than 4.44 per cent.

Last April, Viet Nam asked the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body to set up a panel to review US anti-dumping measures imposed on frozen warm-water shrimp from Viet Nam. WTO general director Pascal Lamy recently appointed three members to the panel.

After six months, the panel was expected to make a final report, clearing the way for further legal action between the parties. If it proceeds, this would constitute Viet Nam's first trade lawsuit against a WTO member . — VNS

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New challenge for exported bicycles to EU

The revival of Vietnamese bicycle exports is still facing problems despite the European Union removing anti-dumping duties, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Competition Authority.

The European Commission decided to scrap anti-dumping tariffs on Vietnamese bicycles last July, while many other countries continue to be subject to the duties.

This resulted in the fact that a number of bicycles from other countries are shipped to Vietnam and then exported to the EU under the trademark “Made-in-Vietnam” in order to avoid the market’s anti-dumping duties, Vu Ba Phu, the Deputy Head of the Ministry’s Competition Authority, told a VNA reporter.

If it fails to prevent these illegal actions, the export of bicycles made in Vietnam to the EU would see an unusual “hot” growth, resulting in EU manufacturers requiring the European Commission to take sanctions, he warned.

“At that point, Vietnam ’s bicycles are at risk of being hit by anti-dumping duties again,” he stressed.

He was also concerned that if the EU resumes their sanctions on Vietnamese bikes, it will negatively affect the Vietnamese bicycle industry and damage Vietnam ’s image in international trade circles.

The EU’s decision to end its sanctions on Vietnamese bikes reflects the real developments in the Vietnamese bicycle industry and will benefit a large number of European consumers, said Phu.

“Vietnam will resolutely fight Vietnam being used as middle-ground for exporting bicycles to the EU” in order to protect businesses and ensure the country’s reputation, he stated.

According to the official, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked all concerned ministries, department and localities to watch out for such trade fraud as well as closely monitor foreign invested bicycle projects, to prevent any attempt to take advantage of the EU removing anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese bicycles.

“The ministry is willing to cooperate with the EC to conduct investigations and punish cases relating to the illegal shipping of bicycles,” said Phu.

The Vietnam Automobile, Motorcycle and Bicycle Association needs to closely supervise the output of domestic bicycle producers and promptly discover cases of fraud.

 

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New challenge for exported bicycles to EU

The revival of Vietnamese bicycle exports is still facing problems
despite the European Union removing anti-dumping duties, according to
the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Competition Authority.

The
European Commission decided to scrap anti-dumping tariffs on Vietnamese
bicycles last July, while many other countries continue to be subject to
the duties. This resulted in the fact that a number of bicycles from
other countries are shipped to Vietnam and then exported to the EU
under the trademark “Made-in-Vietnam” in order to avoid the market’s
anti-dumping duties, Vu Ba Phu, the Deputy Head of the Ministry’s
Competition Authority, told a Vietnam News Agency reporter.

If it
fails to prevent these illegal actions, the export of bicycles made in
Vietnam to the EU would see an unusual “hot” growth, resulting in EU
manufacturers requiring the European Commission to take sanctions, he
warned.

“At that point, Vietnam ’s bicycles are at risk of being hit by anti-dumping duties again,” he stressed.

He
was also concerned that if the EU resumes their sanctions on Vietnamese
bikes, it will negatively affect the Vietnamese bicycle industry and
damage Vietnam ’s image in international trade circles.

The
EU’s decision to end its sanctions on Vietnamese bikes reflects the real
developments in the Vietnamese bicycle industry and will benefit a
large number of European consumers, said Phu.

“ Vietnam will
resolutely fight Vietnam being used as middle-ground for exporting
bicycles to the EU” in order to protect businesses and ensure the
country’s reputation, he stated.

According to the official, the
Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked all concerned ministries,
department and localities to watch out for such trade fraud as well as
closely monitor foreign invested bicycle projects, to prevent any
attempt to take advantage of the EU removing anti-dumping duties on
Vietnamese bicycles.

“The ministry is willing to cooperate with
the EC to conduct investigations and punish cases relating to the
illegal shipping of bicycles,” said Phu.

The Vietnam
Automobile, Motorcycle and Bicycle Association needs to closely
supervise the output of domestic bicycle producers and promptly discover
cases of fraud./.

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Viet Nam sues US over duties

GENEVA — Viet Nam submitted documents to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva on Friday, challenging the US imposition of anti-dumping duties on frozen shrimp imported from Viet Nam.

The move is a next step in the WTO settlement process, after WTO director general Pascal Lamy constituted a three-member panel in late July at Viet Nam's request to consider the case and assist the WTO Dispute Settlement Body in making final rulings or recommendations.

Viet Nam and the US had held consultations back in March but failed to reach any consensus on the issues in controversy, necessitating the formation of the panel.

The key issue involved is the US practice of ‘zeroing' to determine dumping. Zeroing treats all non-dumped sales as having a dumping margin of zero rather than a negative, thereby preventing non-dumped sales from offsetting dumped sales in overall computations.

Zeroing has been proven to be an unfair practice and it violates the rules of the WTO.

After six months, the panel will present its final conclusions to the concerned parties and, three weeks later, inform all WTO member countries of the result. If the Dispute Settlement Body agrees, the panel's final conclusions will become the body's rulings or recommendations. The US first officially imposed anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp in February 2005, with levies ranging from about 4 per cent to more than 25 per cent. — VNS

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