HCMC – The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has received a request to initiate an anti-dumping investigation of paper shopping bags imported from Vietnam, said the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The Coalition for Fair Trade in Shopping Bags of the U.S. filed a petition on May 31, seeking an anti-dumping investigation of paper shopping bag imports from Vietnam, which fall under HS codes 4819.30.0040 and 4819.40.0040.
According to the petitioner, the export value of paper shopping bags from Vietnam to the U.S. increased significantly last year, reaching US$162 million, which made Vietnam the second largest exporter of this item after China.
Preliminary figures released by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) indicate that Vietnam’s exports of the product to the U.S. amounted to around US$143.9 million last year, up a staggering 37.6% against the previous year. The amount made up 15% of the total export turnover of the item to the U.S., positioning Vietnam in the second spot. China held the first position, contributing 34% of the total exports to the U.S.
The petition includes 13 Vietnamese companies, with alleged dumping margins ranging from 63.67% to 128.81% for Vietnamese exporters.
Considering Vietnam as a non-market economy, the DOC plans to use third-country substitutions to determine the dumping margin. Indonesia has been suggested as a suitable alternative country by the petitioner due to its comparable level of economic development.
The proposed investigation period spans from October 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.
The USITC is currently processing the application. The DOC is expected to make a decision regarding the investigation on June 20 this year. Following U.S. trade remedy laws, exporters from Vietnam and other countries will subsequently receive survey questionnaires.
