Vietnam wants exclusion from US steel tariffs

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has urged the US Government to consider excluding Vietnamese products from its newly announced tariff measures on imported steel and aluminium.

The ministry stressed that Vietnamese steel and aluminium products sold to the US are intended for use in civil construction, not for infrastructure or security-defence purposes, thus not affecting the US goal of ensuring its national security.

Moreover, Vietnam’s steel and aluminium products account for just a marginal proportion of US imports of those products, and neither cause nor threaten to cause damage to the US steel and aluminium industries, the MoIT said.

The ministry will continue to keep close watch on the situation and consider subsequent actions to ensure the legitimate interests of Vietnamese enterprises, while maintaining the growing trend of the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the US.

US President Donald Trump, on March 8, signed proclamations to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum.