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New tool in anti-dumping fight
The Ministry of Industry and Trade held a conference in HCM City on Wednesday to apprise businesses and industry associations about an internet-based early warning system against anti-dumping lawsuits.
The system, set up by the ministry and run on a trial basis, seeks to assist local enterprises in preparing for possible anti-dumping action against their goods and services in key markets.
Bach Van Mung, director of the ministry's Department of Competition Management, said the ministry was soliciting feedback to perfect the system which has two portals: http://www.canhbaosom.vn, www.canhbaosom.vn and www.earlywarning.vn.
It would initially track proceedings in the US and European countries, the two key export markets for Vietnamese exporters, and five sectors – garment and textile, footwear, seafood, wood products, and electrical cables, he said.
The ministry plans to expand it to include 10 more export sectors and five other markets: South Korea, Japan, India, Brazil, and Argentina by early next year.
Trinh Anh Tuan of the department explained to participants that the status of exports was indicated in three different colors – green for normal, yellow for a danger of being sued for selling at below-market prices, and red for the highest risk of anti-dumping proceedings.
Basing on this information, enterprises could make timely adjustments to their prices to ward off lawsuits, Tuan said.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Danh Vinh said in recent years anti-dumping measures were increasingly used by many countries as a non-tariff trade barrier to protect domestic producers.
Anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, and safeguards were new issues not only for companies in Viet Nam but also State agencies, he admitted, and exporters had thus faced many difficulties in combating them in foreign markets. Vietnamese exporters have faced 31 anti-dumping proceedings since 1994 which have caused huge damage to Viet Nam in terms of production and employment.
Many business associations and enterprises hailed the system at the meeting, but feared other countries might take advantage of the information on the websites and begin anti-dumping proceedings against goods marked red.
They wanted the ministry to restrict access to the sites.
They also called for adopting measures within the WTO framework to safeguard Vietnamese producers from dumping.
vietnamnews
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