Vietnam imposes provisional anti-dumping duties on HRC imports from China

• Dumping investigations initiated in July 2024
• Imports from India exempted from dumping duty

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has imposed anti-dumping duties on hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports from China. This decision aims to shield Vietnam’s domestic steel industry from unfair competition.

The duties, ranging from 19.38% to 27.83%, will be applied to HRC products with specific characteristics, including thicknesses between 1.2 mm and 25.4 mm, and widths not exceeding 1,880 mm.

A range of hot-rolled steel products, are classified according to HS codes 7208.25.00, 7208.26.00, 7208.27.19, 7208.27.99, 7208.36.00, 7208.37.00, 7208.38.00, 7208.39.20, 7208.39.40, 7208.39.90, 7208.51.00, 7208.52.00, 7208.53.00, 7208.54.90, 7208.90.90, 7211.14.15, 7211.14.16, 7211.14.19, 7211.19.13, 7211.19.19, 7211.90.12, 7211.90.19, 7225.30.90, 7225.40.90, 7225.99.90, 7226.91.10, 7226.91.90. These are subject to temporary anti-dumping duties. The Ministry of Industry and Trade retains the authority to modify this list of HS codes to accurately reflect the products under investigation and any relevant changes.

Notably, Vietnam’s steel imports rose by 38% y-o-y to 18.63 million tonnes (mnt) in CY’24 as compared to 13.52 mnt in CY’23. Imports from China holds largest share of total import volumes to 12.49 mnt in CY’24. Moreover, steel imports from Japan stood at 2.32 mnt, South Korea around 1.52 mnt and India around 0.24 mnt.

While, HRC imports from India are exempt from these anti-dumping duties. The decision follows an investigation into HRC imports from China and India, initiated in response to complaints from Vietnamese steel producers.

The anti-dumping duties will take effect 15 days (i.e. 7 March 2025) after the issuance of the decision and will be applicable for 120 days. This move demonstrates Vietnam’s commitment to protecting its domestic industry and promoting fair trade practices.

The investigation into HRC imports from China and India was initiated in July 2024, following complaints from Vietnamese steel producers . The Ministry of Industry and Trade has been examining the imports to determine whether they were being sold at unfairly low prices, causing harm to the domestic industry.