The Department of Trade Defense under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced that several U.S. steel makers have filed a case against Vietnamese exporters, claiming they have avoided paying antidumping and antisubsidy duties on corrosion-resistant carbon and cold-rolled steel.

Steel is seen at a factory in Vietnam. U.S. steel makers have accused Vietnamese exporters of evading anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on corrosion-resistant carbon and cold-rolled steel - PHOTO: VGP

According to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, U.S. steel producers have petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to launch investigations into these products as they believed Taiwanese and Korean corrosion-resistant carbon steel and Korean cold-rolled steel had been exported to Vietnam before being shipped to the United States.

Since the United States conducted antidumping and antisubsidy probes in 2015, the volumes of corrosion-resistant carbon and cold-rolled steel imports from South Korea and Taiwan have dropped while those from Vietnam have sharply increased.

The DOC will consider the proposal to launch an investigation within 45 days of the date of receiving the petition and will make an official decision within 300 days of the date it launches an investigation.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the involved enterprises to cooperate with investigators and relevant local ministries and agencies to clarify the case if an investigation is launched.

In March, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an act imposing a 25% tax on steel and a 10% duty on aluminum imports, except for those from Canada and Mexico, raising concerns among Vietnamese steel exporters.

SGT