Viet Nam opposes US shrimp subsidy lawsuit

HA NOI (VNS)— Viet Nam has sent a notice of official opposition to the United States over an anti-subsidy lawsuit against Vietnamese frozen warm-water shrimp.

The Viet Nam Trade Office in the US expressed dissatisfaction and made a protest during a consultation on Saturday with the Import Administration under the US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration.

The information was made known by the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP),

The anti-dumping and countervailing duty lawsuit targeting Viet Nam's frozen warm-water shrimp products may have negative impacts on the strongly developing economic-trade relations between the two countries.

Viet Nam will carefully consider arguments in the US petition as well as necessary legal options to protect the legitimate interests of Vietnamese farmers and businesses involved in shrimp production and processing for export.

VASEP said that if the International Trade Administration decided to launch investigations under the lawsuit and impose a certain anti-dumping duty on Viet Nam's frozen warm-water shrimp, it would be an unfair decision and a double taxation measure which would greatly affect the livelihoods of more than 600,000 Vietnamese shrimp farmers and processors.

An Import Administration representative said the US would consider in a careful and serious manner the standpoints of Viet Nam and other related countries, saying that the Department of Commerce would address the lawsuit independently without connection to retaliation or punishment of any other lawsuit.

The US International Trade Commission will release preliminary determinations on whether the US shrimp industry suffered losses on February 11.

The International Trade Administration has completed separate consultations with each of seven countries involved in the lawsuit, including Viet Nam, mainland China, India, Ecuador, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The Department of Commerce on January 18 received an anti-subsidy petition against frozen warm-water shrimp imported from Viet Nam and six other countries, while representatives from the seven exporters said there was insufficient evidence to prove their shrimp industries received Government subsidies.

According to representatives from the mentioned countries, their shrimp industries enjoyed natural advantages, standardised breeding and processing and cheap labour.

They said the petition was actually to seek protection for the US shrimp industry but would hit US consumers instead.

January 21, 2013

Source: VNS