Minh Phu Seafood shrimp processing plant. (Photo Credit: Minh Phu Seafood Co. Ltd)

VASEP sues US over anti-dumping tariffs on shrimp

VIET NAM
Friday, October 03, 2014, 02:20 (GMT + 9)

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP) has decided to make a legal claim against the US Department of Commerce (DOC) over the anti-dumping duties imposed on 32 Vietnamese shrimp exporters.

This lawsuit has been filed by 31 out of the 32 shrimp exporters via the US International Trade Commission (ITC) before the US International Commerce Arbitration Court, which had issued its final decision to implement the high level of tariffs on these exporters after the DOC’s eighth period of review from 1 February, 2012 to 31 January, 2013, VNA informed.

These duties that the DOC is planning to apply to Vietnamese shrimp exporters include 4.98 per cent for Minh Phu Seafood Co. Ltd; 9.75 per cent for Soc Trang Seafood JSC and 6.37 per cent for the rest of the companies.

Meanwhile, VASEP Vice President Nguyen Huu Dung deemed these tariff levels as “irrational”, since he considers the tariff calculation was based “on outdated data," which is against the US Anti-Dumping Duty Law.”

Therefore, Dung urges shrimp exporters to manage their supply chains better and seek new markets.

For his part, VASEP general secretary Truong Dinh Hoe pointed out the duties imposed were too high, unreasonable and lacked sufficient basis because these were based on "incomplete, inadequate and outdated figures.”

"We have asked the US Department of Commerce to re-calculate the duties based on updated data because there is no reason for all exporters to have zero duties under the seventh administrative review (POR7) but high rates under POR8," Hoe claimed, VNS reported.

Besides, in statements to the the Viet Nam Plus online newspaper Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh remarked the US Department of Commerce's imposition of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp exports was “unfair and contradicted the principle of trade liberalisation, as well as existing economic and trade agreements between the two countries.”

The Ministry representative added that “the move was a violation of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Partnership.”

"Vietnamese businesses do not dump shrimp products on the US market and do not damage or threaten to damage the US shrimp industry," the spokesperson stated.

According to Viet Nam's general department of customs, from 1 January, 2014 to 14 August, 2014, the value of Vietnamese shrimp exports to the US reached USD 700 million, an 80-per cent year-on-year increase. 

Related articles:

- Anti-dumping tariffs on shrimp are 'unfair,' states minister
- Preliminary results raise antidumping margins on shrimp 

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