Vietnam: Local steel pipe makers to face anti-dumping case

02/11/2011 12:00 - 440 Views

HANOI – Four U.S. steel pipe producers have demanded initiation of an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into steel pipe products imported from ten Vietnamese firms.

Petitions on such investigation were laid to the U.S. Department of Commerce on Wednesday by four steel makers stateside namely Ailled Tube and Conduit, JMC Steel Group, Wheatland Tube and United States Steel Corporation.

According to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), beside Vietnam, steel pipe exporters from India, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may also be investigated.

The U.S. Department of Commerce will consider and officially decide whether to start the investigation or not 20 days after the petition is received, or on November 11. However, local steel exporters have to answer a preliminary questionnaire and submit it before November 12.

The final investigation result is estimated to be released on October 5, 2012, along with the specific tax rates applicable for each nation or enterprise.

The ten steel pipe producers in Vietnam listed on the petition include Huu Lien A Chau, Daiwa Lance, Hoa Phat, Hoa Sen, Hyundai-Huy Hoang, SeAH, Tianjin Lida, Viet Duc, Vinapipe and Vingal.

There is a rumor that Chinese steel pipe products are jointed in Vietnam and labeled as Vietnamese products. This event, if true, goes against customs regulations because steel pipe jointing does not change the product’s origin.

The U.S. market demand for steel pipes is some US$3 billion a year. The biggest exporter China holding a 95% market share has been imposed anti-dumping tax rates at 17.7-39.2% since October 2009.

According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Vietnam’s export revenue of iron and steel in January-September has significantly risen to US$1.26 billion. The U.S. market only contributed 0.2%.

Meanwhile, the export revenue of steel pipes in nine months reached US$61.3 million, or 4.8% of the total value of iron and steel export, according to the General Department of Customs.

In the petition, the U.S. steel makers quoted the statistics on the export turnover of Vietnamese steel pipes to the U.S. market being some US$34 million as of August, or surging by 62.6% against the same period last year.

By Ngoc Lan

Source: The Saigon Times Daily