Vietnam Protests US Anti-dumping Tariffs on Shrimp Exports

Vietnam Protests US Anti-dumping Tariffs on Shrimp Exports

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) on December 1 has voiced against the US anti-dumping taxes imposed on its shrimp exports, reaffirming that Vietnam was not dumping in the US market.

The statement was made following a decision by the US Department of Commerce (DOC) on its final punitive tariffs on shrimp imports from Vietnam and China on the same day.

"Once again, VASEP affirms that Vietnamese enterprises do not dump their shrimp on the US or other markets," the industry body said in a statement.

DOC on November 30 made its final tariffs on Vietnam's shrimp exports, ranging between 4.13-25.76 per cent, compared to 12.11 per cent to 93.13 per cent in its preliminary ruling on June 6 this year.

Of the 38 Vietnamese shrimp exporters that had asked the DOC to revise its preliminary decision, 32 businesses were calculated to be subjected to dumping margins below 5 per cent while the remaining six were at high of 25.76 per cent.

The DOC also decided that none of Vietnamese shrimp exporters would be subjected to a retrospective ruling, as they have not been determined as "emergency cases".

In its press release, VASEP noted positive changes in the newly issued decision, saying that during the investigation progresses, the DOC has recognized part of Vietnam's explanation and actual figures, examined carefully documents submitted by Vietnamese exporters and US importers.

However, VASEP said that competitive advantages of Vietnamese shrimp are due to favorable natural conditions, low labor costs and industrious and a creative workforce to rear and process shrimp for higher yields and lowering production costs.

If the DOC conducts more thorough and all-rounded investigation of the above-said factors, it will come to a conclusion that Vietnam does not dump shrimp in the US market.

VASEP requested the DOC promptly revise its unfair decision applied to Kim Anh, Truc An, Hai Thuan, Ngoc Sinh, Phuong Nam and the Nha Trang Fisheries Co. Ltd. VASEP said all the six businesses are private companies and operating completely independent. These companies should be subject to similar treatment as other Vietnamese businesses in conformity with US law.

The association also affirmed that Vietnam's shrimp exports to the US market neither leave any harmful impacts on nor threaten to cause material damage to the US shrimp industry but also contribute to generating employment and incomes for thousands of US laborers.

VASEP called on US importers, processors, distributors and consumers to raise their voices to ask the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to judge the case fairly to avoid affecting interests of Vietnamese farmers, US consumers and not to cause adverse impacts on the two countries' economic relationship.

The ITC will then rule whether Vietnam and China dumped their shrimp into the US market or not by January 12, 2005. If ITC decides that the shrimp imported from defendant countries was done to cause material losses, DOC will officially decide to apply anti-dumping tax rates on shrimp imported from China and Vietnam on January 19, 2005.

• P.V