The US Department of Commerce (DOC) on June 20 will decide whether to investigate the dumping of paper bags imported from Viet Nam.

The paper bag codes under investigation are HS 4819.30.0040 and 4819.40.0040. The case's plaintiff is the Coalition for Fair Trade with Shopping Bags.

The Department of Trade Remedies, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam, said that DOC received a request for an anti-dumping investigation on paper shopping bags imported from Viet Nam.

The Coalition said that Viet Nam exported US$162 million in products to the US, ranking second behind China.

Meanwhile, data from the US International Trade Commission (USITC) showed the export value of investigated products was around $144 million last year, up 37.6 per cent year-on-year, accounting for about 15 per cent of total export turnover and ranking second among countries that export the most to the US, after China.

The plaintiff also named 13 Vietnamese businesses accused of dumping, with a margin of 63.67-128.81 per cent.

DOC will use a third country, which in this case will be Indonesia, to calculate the dumping margin because Viet Nam is considered a non-market economy country.

While waiting for the decision, the Trade Remedies Department advises manufacturers and exporters to closely monitor the case to develop an appropriate appeal strategy and diversify exported products. — VNS