January 7, 2004

 

 

Vietnam Refute US Shrimp Dumping Allegation As Contradicting To Liberalisation Policy

 

Vietnam Deputy Trade Minister Tran Duc Minh refuted allegations of anti-dumping as contrary to America's own trade liberalization policy after US shrimp farmers lodged anti-dumping petitions against Vietnam with the US Commerce Department and International Trade Commission.

 

The petitions - lodged on New Year's eve - seek the imposition of duties ranging from 30 to more than 200 per cent on shrimp from Vietnam, Thailand, China, India, Ecuador and Brazil.

 

Asked about the petitions by the Vietnam News Agency, the deputy minister replied: "Vietnam's economy in general and the shrimp farming, processing and exporting sector in particular, work to market economy regulations.

 

"The Vietnam Government does not subsidise shrimp producers, processors and exporters and I can affirm that our exporters have not dumped shrimp into the US market.

 

"Vietnam believes that the relevant US agencies should settle this petition in a fair and objective manner that accords with the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement and the spirit of free trade as espoused by the US.

 

"This will not only help promote the development of Vietnam-US economic and commercial relations, but also protect the rights of US shrimp importers and distributors as well as US consumers."

 

The deputy minister described the petition as groundless.

 

"We hope that the US will treat the complaints objectively and fairly as US Trade Secretary Donald Evans and US Trade Representative Robert B Zoellick assured Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan and Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen that any such complaints would be," he said.

 

Both the deputy prime minister and trade minister visited Washington in November.

 

The deputy minister said Vietnam's shrimp exporters, with help from the Vietnam Association of Shrimp Exporters and Producers (VASEP), and the Trade Ministry and Fisheries Ministries would continue to expand and diversify outlets to ensure the sale of their products for millions of Vietnamese farmers."

 

The petitions ask that conditions of fair trade to be restored by imposing anti-dumping duties on the shrimp imports from the six countries.