Official anti-dumping duties applied by the Philippines to Type 1 cement imported from Vietnam range from 0% to 23.07%, and for Type 1P cement from 0% to 23.33%, effective March 9, 2023...

The Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam (TRAV), under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, reported that the Philippines Tariff Commission (TC) has issued a notification regarding the petitioner's withdrawal of its request for a mid-term review of the anti-dumping duty order on Vietnamese cement.

Previously, on March 9, 2023, the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) had issued the definitive anti-dumping duty order on Type 1 cement (HS code 2523.29.90) and Type 1P cement (HS code 2523.90.00) imported from Vietnam, based on the anti-dumping investigation initiated in April 2021.

The definitive anti-dumping duties applied by the Philippines range from 0% to 23.07% for Type 1 cement imported from Vietnam, and from 0% to 23.33% for Type 1P cement.

On November 27, 2024, the Philippines Tariff Commission (TC) announced the initiation of a mid-term review of the aforementioned anti-dumping duties based on a "combined" request from both the domestic industry and Vietnamese exporters.

The petitioner in this review investigation is the Philippines' domestic industry. The Period of Investigation (POI) is from June 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.

On December 6, 2024, the TC held an online meeting regarding the case to discuss deadlines, the nature of the case, appearances of counsel and interested parties, notices, access to public documents, confidentiality, information submission, verification, the tentative hearing schedule, and other matters.

Interested parties submitted their responses to the review questionnaire on January 30, 2025. The case is currently under investigation. The final determination is expected to be issued around December 2025.

However, on March 21, 2025, the TC sent a notification stating that the petitioner had withdrawn its request for the review on March 6, 2025.

The reason for the petitioner's withdrawal is that the Philippines' application of a safeguard measure on cement has impacted the product under investigation in this case. The petitioner withdrew the request to concentrate and focus resources on the cement safeguard investigation.

However, the petitioner still recommended maintaining the current anti-dumping measure on cement to remedy the injury caused by the alleged dumping practices of Vietnamese cement producers and exporters.

According to the Trade Remedies Authority, this withdrawal is not a declaration that the anti-dumping measure is no longer needed, but simply the petitioner's decision based on recent developments.

However, based on Philippine law, since the review was initiated based on a combined request from the domestic industry and Vietnamese exporters, the TC will continue to consider the submissions of the Vietnamese producers and exporters within the framework of this review, without needing to terminate the case to start a new one.

Therefore, the current review investigation is still proceeding as conducted by the TC according to regulations. In this case, Vietnamese producers and exporters have argued that they are no longer dumping, and thus the anti-dumping duty is no longer necessary, requesting the Philippines to lift the measure.

To respond effectively to the case, the Trade Remedies Authority recommends that the Cement Association and cement producers/exporters shipping to the Philippines must closely monitor information about the case, continue submitting comments if necessary and as requested by the TC.

Cooperate closely with the TC in the subsequent stages of the case to avoid adverse findings due to non-cooperation. Also, seek the support and voice of importing partners in the Philippines who share common interests with Vietnam to present their perspectives.

Crucially, it is necessary to inform and coordinate closely with the Trade Remedies Authority (TRAV) for timely assistance.

Source: Vn Economy