VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese trade counselor in the United States has warned local furniture exporters of possible anti-dumping investigation following a banner year that saw a surge in export sales of the merchandize stateside.
 
Ngo Van Thoan told the meeting between 60 Vietnamese trade counselors overseas and corporate representatives in southern Vietnam in HCMC on Monday that the risk of legal actions against Vietnamese furniture exporters was high.
 
Thoan said U.S. furniture producers had voiced outcries over robust export increase of furniture from Vietnam, resulting in their factory closure and job loss for their employees.
 
Last year saw Vietnam’s furniture sales to the U.S. soar 36% to more than US$$1.2bil, making this product surpass footwear as Vietnam’s second-biggest export to the U.S. after apparel.
 
“A 36% rise in export revenue is very strong,” Thoan said, adding that the target of furniture sales from the U.S. market was around US$1.6 this year. “This is a challenging goal but the chance to realize this is high.”
 
He clarified U.S. companies did not count on strong export revenues to sue exporters from a market but the selling price of a product they thought to be lower than the market price. 

He said U.S. companies had to provide the numbers of closed factories and lost jobs to support their outcry if they wanted to sue Vietnamese furniture firms. So, he called on local firms to prepare evidence for any trade disputes possibly taking place in the future.
 
Thoan said boosting exports to the U.S. market was the legitimate need of companies but they should organize their export activities well in line with close instructions and collaboration with their counterparts to avoid any disputes right at the first steps.
 
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is making efforts to help consolidate cooperation among local business associations to make their activities clear and the price of their products transparent.  
 
“It is advisable for business associations to convene their members to inform them of a surge in exports of a product in their operation field,” Thoan told the Daily on the sidelines of the one-day meeting organized by the ministry at the Reunification Palace.
 
Thoan said Vietnamese exporters would have to face challenges from the U.S. market as “the market is what it is.” However, he said the U.S. was a large market in terms of trade, investment, tourism and other fields.
 
The ministry has targeted sales to the U.S. market this year would grow 23% year-on-year to more than US$13 billion as against more than US$10.2 billion achieved last year.
 
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien said export revenues last year were up nearly 22% over the previous year to US$48.6bil, which supported the country’s gross domestic product growth of some 8.5%. This was an encouraging achievement one year after Vietnam became the World Trade Organization member, he added.
 
However, export products were not diversified and added value from these products was still low, Bien said at the meeting, which was also co-chaired by HCMC vice chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hong. 
 
Bien said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told the ministry and trade counselors at a recent meeting to find ways to boost outbound sales growth of at least 22% to exceed US$59bil this year.
 
At the meeting, Bien said the ministry would work with other State agencies to provide local companies with more information about export markets, demand and supply, need for product designs to help them increase their outbound sales and enter new potential markets. 

(Source: SGT)