The Ministry of Industry and Trade on Friday held a conference in Ha Noi to discuss experiences of coping with trade defence investigations initiated by Australia.

Nguyen Phuong Nam, deputy director of the ministry’s Trade Defence Department, said in the past two years, Australia had hastened the imposition of trade defence instruments on Vietnamese products.

Recently, Viet Nam successful dealt with Australia’s investigation of anti-dumping and anti-subsidisation of extruded aluminum and galvanised steel, with the Australian Anti-Dumping Commission reportedly dropped the cases following more than one year of investigation.

Nam said these cases proved that besides the Government’s efforts, enterprises must also be active in trade defence.

According to Dinh Anh Tuyet, a lawyer from boutique law firm IDVN, to successfully appeal against trade defence investigations, Viet Nam should study subsidy-related accusations carefully. The process would require close coordination among relevant ministries, associations and firms to collect information and present it to the investigator.

Producers should also analyse questionnaires and prepare their response carefully.

“Firstly, it is important that firms must provide information and send their answers on time, as well as show a cooperative attitude towards the investigation process,” Tuyet said.

According to Vu Van Thanh, deputy director general of Hoa Sen Group, a Vietnamese steel producer who recently dealt with Australia’s anti-dumping investigation, said local producers and lawyers were still inexperienced in coping with trade-defence cases.

In particular, local firms were still hesitant to provide information to the investigator because some of it could be sensitive and might affect their business, which would result in a conclusion to impose trade defence instruments.

Thanh said local firms must cooperate with the investigator and set up a department that specialised in handling trade defence issues. - VNS