- Vietnam targets Chinese HRC evasion
- Wider coils avoid existing tariffs
Mysteel Global: Vietnam has initiated an anti-circumvention probe into imports of certain wide-width hot-rolled coil (HRC) from China, following allegations that these products are being used to circumvent existing anti-dumping (AD) duties, according to an official document signed in Hanoi on October 27.
The probe, formally initiated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) on October 27, targets flat-rolled iron and steel products, whether alloyed or not, hot-rolled, with widths greater than 1,880mm and less than or equal to 2,300mm, and with a thickness between 1.2mm and 25.4mm, Mysteel Global learns.
The investigation excludes HRC products with carbon content above 0.3% by weight, or HRC in plates of 10mm or thicker, or HRC products that are currently subject to import duties.
The investigation was triggered by a request filed by local enterprises on September 10 amid a surge in imports of the wider-width HRC from China that was arriving in the country duty-free and which Vietnamese producers allege are technically and functionally equivalent to products subject to duties.
The unchallenged arrival of these coils has raised concerns that the circumvention trend could expand, undermining the effectiveness of the AD measures, the petitioners claimed. The country’s Trade Remedies Authority officially accepted the application on September 18.
Vietnam had imported 4.82 million tonnes of the above products during January-August this year, with imports from China accounting for around 56% of the total volume, according to official data.
Imports in August rebounded to 628,018 tonnes from a low of 455,573 tonnes registered in July, which is believed to include some HRC products that were imported under this category to evade tariffs.
Vietnam has begun to levy AD duties of between 23.10% and 27.83% on Chinese HRC products with a width of no more than 1,880mm and a thickness range of 1.2-25.4mm since July 6 2025, for a period of five years, as Mysteel Global reported. On July 26 last year, Vietnam had launched an AD investigation targeting HRC of these specifications from China and India.
In contrast, HRCs from India received a negative final ruling, with no duties imposed and the investigation terminated, as reported.
The case is not the first targeting alleged circumvention by Chinese steel exporters recently.
Early last month, the Australian government’s Anti-Dumping Commission (ADC) launched a bypass export investigation into certain types of carbon steel hollow structural sections (HSS) originating in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia, as Mysteel Global reported.
The probe is in response to a complaint lodged by Brisbane-headquartered pipe and tube maker Orrcon Manufacturing, which alleged that several importers are importing HSS goods that are slightly modified before export to Australia to circumvent existing anti-dumping duties.
Note: This article has been written in accordance with a content exchange agreement between MySteel Global and BigMint.
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