Tag Archives: Vietnam

Potential antidumping duties on tires from Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam?

May 16, 2020 By in AD/CVD, ADD/CVD, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, tires, Uncategorized, Vietnam Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
pexels-photo-1236788

Photo by Leo Cardelli on Pexels.com

On May 13, 2020, The United Steelworkers (USW) union announced they were filing antidumping and countervailing duty petitions on passenger vehicle and light truck (PVLT) tires from Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

The petition by the USW claims tires from the 4 countries are “dumped” into the US after being made at a much cheaper cost than can be produced by US manufacturers. Potential dumping margins listed in the petition range from as low as 33% to 217%. As you are aware, the USW previously obtained AD/CVD orders on PVLT tires from China in 2015 that led to a drastic reduction of Chinese tire imports. However, the AD/CVD orders had the indirect impact of shifting tire manufacturing to Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

The full press release can be found here.

If you have any questions on how the potential antidumping and countervailing duties will impact your business, contact trade attorney David Hsu by phone/text at 832-896-6288 or by email at attorney.dave@yahoo.com.

Chinese manufacturers return to China leaving ‘inefficient’ Vietnam.

July 21, 2019 By in AD/CVD, ADD/CVD, China, China tariffs, tariff engineering, Thailand, Uncategorized, Vietnam Tags: , , , , Leave a comment
group of persons wearing yellow safety helmet during daytime

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

According to the South China Morning Post, some Chinese manufacturers that relocated to Vietnam due to the tariffs placed on imports to the US, are moving back to China or exploring manufacturing options in Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The SCMP article quotes a factory manager who said differences in culture (no over time in Vietnam and lower skill labor force) were two main causes of delays in delivery times and poor production numbers. With the tariffs in place, this has increased the demand for land and labor in Vietnam, causing costs to also increase. As foreigners cannot own land in Vietnam, there is also a risk for Chinese manufacturers to partner with a Vietnamese counterpart. Another factor leading to increased manufacturing costs for Chinese companies are the stricter labor and environmental protections, causing many Chinese companies to face fines for violations.

The current trade situation in Vietnam and US tariffs are forcing some manufacturers to look towards Thailand – attractive because of the stable political situation but high labor costs; Bangladesh which is relatively unknown to Chinese manufacturers and Myanmar which has low labor costs, but Myanmar faces sanctions due to their human rights abuses.

While not discussed in the SCMP article, the other big problem for Chinese manufacturers is the issue of how long the US 301 duties will remain in place. Just as spontaneously as the 301 duties were put in place, the 301 duties can also spontaneously end at the discretion of President Trump. I believe this unpredictability is the main question Chinese manufacturers must answer before spending the money and dedicating the time, resources, and manpower needed to move production to a foreign country.

If you have any questions regarding country of origin and how to avoid tariffs by moving production to other countries besides China, contact experienced trade attorney David Hsu at 832-896-6288 or by email at dh@gjatradelaw.com, attorney.dave@yahoo.com.

Vietnamese Furniture makers win in Trump’s trade war.

July 5, 2019 By in AD/CVD, ADD/CVD, China, furniture, trade war, transshipment, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment
woman standing beside white motor scooter

Photo by Ba Phi on Pexels.com

A Bloomberg article highlights one of the winners in Trump’s trade war with China – that being Vietnamese furniture manufacturers.

With imports of Chinese furniture subject to a 25% duty in addition to any applicable anti-dumping or countervailing duties, furniture companies in Vietnam are cashing in as the tariff-free alternative to Chinese manufacturing.

The Bloomberg article quotes, the CEO of Xuan Hoa Vietnam Joint Stock Co., a furniture company that has seen a boom in international visitors – including Ikea. Xuan Hoa is a long time Ikea manufacturer (past 17 years) and their ability to produce cheaper than China is only increasing under the trade war.

In addition to not being subject to 301 duties or AD/CVD duties, the Bloomberg article cites labor costs half of what they are in China and lower electricity costs as it is subsidized by the government. Vietnam’s shared border with China also allows for the ease of materials and components.

If you are a furniture importer from China and want to learn how to save on import duties, contact trade and customs attorney by mobile/text at 832-896-6288 or by email at attorney.dave@yahoo.com or dh@gjatradelaw.com.

Commerce Department issues affirmative final circumvention ruling on steel from Vietnam.

May 23, 2018 By in ADD/CVD, countervailing duty, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
high rise building near the body of water photo

Photo by Louis PHDC on Pexels.com

According to a May 21, 2018 news release on the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) website – the Commerce department announced an affirmative ruling on corrosion-resistant steel (CORE) and certain cold-rolled steel flat products (cold-rolled steel) imported from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) produced from substrate originating in the People’s Republic of China (China) are circumventing the antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders on CORE and cold-rolled steel imported from China.

In order to avoid payment of duties, some manufacturers ship goods to another country not subject to duties, and from there send the goods to the United States. This practice is known as “transshipment” and we will likely hear more reports of transshipment as manufacturers look for ways to avoid the steel and aluminum duties.

While the steel here is produced in Vietnam, Commerce found circumvention of AD/CVD orders did occur because the subject merchandise is the same class or kind of merchandise subject to existing orders and completed or assembled in a third party country prior to importation to the US.

Commerce will notify Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue collecting cash deposits on imports of CORE and cold-rolled steel produced in Vietnam using Chinese-origin materials at an AD rate of 199.43 percent and CVD rate of 39.05 percent.

CBP will also collect AD and CVD cash deposits on imports of cold-rolled steel produced in Vietnam using Chinese-origin substrate at rates of 199.76 percent and 256.44 percent, respectively.

If you have any questions about this or any other AD/CVD order, call experienced antidumping attorney David Hsu at 832-896-6288 or email at attorney.dave@yahoo.com.