Import of Steel from China is Legal, Vietnam Trade Ministry Assured

Vietnam’s Ministry of Trade has declared that state-owned firm VIS did not violate Vietnamese law in importing steel made in China but bearing its trademark for domestic sale.

In a report to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the ministry said the Vietnam-Italy Steel Company (VIS) had merely signed a merchandise contract with the Chinese firm under which it allowed the latter to use the VIS trademark registered in Vietnam.

So the imports bearing the VIS name for sale in the domestic market was in line with Vietnamese trademark laws, and did not violate intellectual property regulations, the ministry said.

The National Office for Intellectual Property had entered the fray to say that VIS’s action was illegal.

The ministry said, however, it was ready to conduct an anti-dumping investigation if sought by the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA) and other parties together with evidence of losses due to VIS’s imports.

The VSA had renewed a request last week to the prime minister to halt VIS’s import from China pending a study to determine if they conformed to trademark regulations.

It had first appealed last month before the consignments reached Vietnam.

The ministry said, however, it was ready to conduct an anti-dumping investigation if sought by the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA) and other parties together with evidence of losses due to VIS’s imports.

The VSA had renewed a request last week to the prime minister to halt VIS’s import from China pending a study to determine if they conformed to trademark regulations.

It had first appealed last month before the consignments reached Vietnam.

The ministry also said there was no need to raise tariffs on imported steel rods at this moment because domestic steel prices were rising.

Source: Tuoi Tre, VOV – Translated by Thu Thuy