TradePost Archives > September 17, 2008 > this article

Vietnam takes steps to prevent U.S. AD action on apparel exports

September 17, 2008
World Trade\Interactive

A Sept. 14 article in the Thanh Nien Daily reports that the Vietnamese government is taking steps to forestall any potential antidumping proceedings in the U.S. against apparel imports from Vietnam. Specifically, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is requiring manufacturers of certain clothing to “apply directly” for a certificate of origin, which is required for shipments to clear Vietnamese Customs and usually issued automatically. According to the article, the affected types of clothing include “knit shirts and blouses, non-knit shirts and blouses, sweaters, trousers, breeches, shorts and underwear.” The certificate of origin will be denied if there are any problems with the application.

The article cites a ministry official as saying this measure is designed to reduce the country’s apparel exports to the U.S., which jumped nearly 30 percent in the first four months of 2008 amid declining prices for some articles. The U.S. Department of Commerce is monitoring imports of Vietnamese apparel and has said it could self-initiate an AD duty case if it finds evidence that any such goods are being dumped on the U.S. market. The DOC has twice previously declined to take this step after reviewing the import data, and a final review is slated for this fall. The monitoring program is due to end when the Bush administration leaves office Jan. 20, but the domestic textile industry is pushing for it to be extended.