Posted on 22 Sep 2025
Vietnam's Trade Remedies Authority has confirmed receipt of a petition seeking an investigation into the alleged circumvention of anti-dumping measures on hot rolled coil imports from China.
The case involves HRC with widths greater than 1,880mm and less than 2,300mm, with domestic steel producers claiming that these product specifications are being used to bypass existing tariffs, Kallanish learns from the document.
The petition was submitted on 10 September by representatives of the domestic industry, including Hoa Phat Group, and was deemed complete and valid by the authority on 18 September.
Domestic producers argue the alleged practices are undermining the protective effect of the duties, threatening to weaken the competitiveness of Vietnam's steel industry.
In Vietnamese government regulation, the authority now has 45 days from the date of acceptance to review the request and decide whether to recommend that the Ministry of Industry and Trade initiate a formal investigation.
The assessment will consider whether there are signs of circumvention of trade defence measures, and whether there has been a change in import volumes and values since the duties were imposed. It will also examine whether any circumvention has reduced the effectiveness of the existing anti-dumping measures.
Vietnam levied final anti-dumping duties of 23.01-27.83% on Chinese-origin HRC for five years, effective 6 July 2025 (see Kallanish passim). The products involved are carbon and alloy HRC products with thickness of 1.2-25.4mm, width not exceeding 1,880mm, and carbon content up to 0.3% by weight.
If Vietnam launches a new probe into wider-width HRC, the scope of duties could be extended, further restricting Chinese suppliers' access to the market. This may tighten domestic supply but would provide stronger protection for local producers.
Since the antidumping duty came into effect in July, HRC prices in the Vietnamese market have risen by around $20/tonne on a cfr basis.
Source:Kallanish
