Vietnam has protested the US Department of Commerce (DOC)’s preliminary decision announced on August 31 on the imposition of countervailing duties on products imported from the country, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Bach Van Mung, director of the Ministry’s Competition Management Department, on September 15 said the DOC’s investigation was not in line with a previous ruling from the US Court of Appeals.
He said the Vietnamese Government always abides by its commitments in treaties and protects the legal rights of businesses in international trade, creating a healthy and reliable business and investment environment.
“The Vietnamese Government does not subsidize exporters, and even if it has, the subsidized rate was not worth considering and has not distorted trade equality,” the director said.
The decision would have a “negative impact” on the export of Vietnamese polyethylene bags and even cause “remarkable risk” for both Vietnamese exporters and US importers, he said.
Exporters should diversify their products and markets, devise long-term business strategies and invest in technologies to minimize the risk of dumping and anti-subsidy lawsuits by importing countries, Mung suggested.
He also proposed exporters study their markets and regulations to actively respond to unexpected issues.-