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New US requirements not greatly worrying Vietnamese exporters
Key Vietnamese export items shipped to the US like apparel and woodwork products will have to meet the new requirements on product safety promulgated by the US on August 18, 2008. However, experts say Vietnamese exports won’t be greatly affected.
Nancy A. Nord, Acting Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said that in order to maintain normal exports to the US, producers should strictly follow the requirements on product safety. Vietnamese enterprises can ask US importers to provide information about the new law. However, it would be better for them to take the initiative in getting information about the laws, the chairman said.
The trade value between Vietnam and the country has been on the rise, reaching $12bil now, while it was $1bil 10 years ago.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the total turnover of products exported to the US is estimated to reach $13.1bil this year, an increase of 28% over last year, of which apparel and woodwork products account for 60%. Therefore, a worry has been raised that the new requirements will affect Vietnamese exports.
Vo Truong Thanh, Director of Truong Thanh Woodwork Company, which exports products to the US, is worried that it will take more time and money to export products to the US with the new law.
However, most garment companies believe they will not be greatly affected by the new law because they simply do outsourcing at the orders of importers.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Duc Khiem, Director of Viet Thang Textile Company, 60% of whose products are being exported to the US, said that the company is making products and exporting them under FOB form, while clients are responsible for getting products into the US. Khiem said that the company will face some difficulties getting used to the new law. The company and its partners will have to renegotiate contracts as there will be complicated changes caused by the new requirements.
Other garment companies say that they will have to be more cautious in choosing fabric materials for making products, which means that they will have to spend more money and time on examining materials, especially the imports from China. Meanwhile, woodwork companies predict that there will be some changes in exports to the US in the time to come.
Le Quoc An, Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Association, said that the new requirements were enacted on August 18, but in fact, Vietnamese garment producers have been following strict requirements set by the importers for a long time. Therefore, the new law has not caught Vietnamese enterprises unaware. An said that the association will provide information and support enterprises if necessary.
VNN
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