Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Nhandan.org.vn, July 22, 2003

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers on July 21condemned a decision issued by the US Department of Commerce (DoC) to again raise tariffs on imports of tra and basa fillets from Vietnam, saying it goes counter to the spirit of free trade.

"The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) is particularly irked by the July 18 DoC decision to even raise its tariffs higher compared with the previous decision on June 18," VASEP said in a statement.

The DoC while reconsidering their calculations has accepted charges filed by the Catfish Farmers of America (CFA) without looking at VASEP arguments and did not check their own mistakes. Their ruling is unbiased and did not take into account accurate information provided by Vietnamese businesses, the association added.

Protesting against the "absurd ruling to apply high tariffs" on Vietnamese businesses, VASEP reiterated that it is filled with "prejudices and protectionism," VASEP fully shared the views of six US senators who expressed their concerns over the decision to impose unjustified tariffs, stressing that "if unjustified tariffs designed to protect a few domestic producers are ultimately imposed based on incomplete information or analysis, US consumers will suffer the effects of reduced competition, higher prices, and less choice. The US-Vietnam trade relations would also be significantly harmed."

Vietnamese businesses have behaved according to the spirit of free trade and fair competition. These efforts did not get a positive response from DoC as they have repeatedly issued unfair rulings, which would hurt bilateral trade ties and go counter to the free trade spirit, the VASEP said.

The association called on the US International Trade Council to make a ruling in line with international practices, affirming the import of Vietnam's tra and basa fillets will not threaten to harm the US catfish production. (VNA)