Posted on 28 Oct 2025
Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has initiated an anti-circumvention investigation into imports of certain hot-rolled steel (HRC) products from China, amid growing concerns that Chinese-origin steel may be evading existing anti-dumping duties through minor modifications.
According to a government document, seen by Kallanish, the Decision No. 3176/QD-BCT, signed on 27 October by Deputy Minister, Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, the probe targets HRC products with widths greater than 1,880mm and less than or equal to 2,300mm.
The probe covers flat-rolled iron and steel products, whether alloyed or not, hot-rolled, and with a thickness between 1.2mm and 25.4mm. Exclusions apply to HRC products with carbon content above 0.3% by weight, or HRC in plates of 10mm or thicker, or products already under the current import duties on HRC (see below).
The products are classified under various HS codes including 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, 7208.52.00, 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 and 7226.91.90.
The investigation will determine whether imports from China are attempting to avoid anti-dumping measures currently imposed on Chinese HRC.
Customs data reviewed by Kallanish shows that Vietnam has imported 4.82 million tonnes of the above products in January-August, with imports from China accounting for around 56% of the total volume.
Imports in July reached a year-to-date low of 455,573t, before rebounding again in August to 628,018t, which is believed to include some HRC products that were imported under this category to circumvent tariffs.
Since 6 July, Vietnam has levied final anti-dumping duties of 23.01-27.83% on Chinese-origin HRC (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.
Shortly after this, domestic producers Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel JSC and Formosa Ha Tinh Steel filed a formal request seeking an investigation into alleged circumvention by Chinese suppliers in June.
The Trade Remedies Authority will examine potential circumvention practices such as product adjustments, tariff code changes, or minor processing intended to bypass current duties.
Interested parties, including producers, importers, and exporters, must register as stakeholders within 60 working days from the decision's effective date via the ministry's TRAV Online Portal.
The investigation period will not exceed nine months, with a possible three-month extension under special circumstances. The MOIT may apply temporary anti-circumvention measures if preliminary findings justify such action, according to the document.
Source:Kallanish
