The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade is looking for a partner providing legal services to help it handle the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)’s investigation on tires imported from Vietnam.

The ideal partner must have professional capacity and experience in providing consulting for trade remedy cases initiated by the United States, or resolving disputes at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

It must also have knowledge of U.S. laws and procedures or dispute resolution mechanisms in dispute settlement cases at the WTO.

The information was confirmed by the ministry’s Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam on Wednesday after the DOC officially launched an anti-subsidy investigation into a number of automobile tire products originating in Vietnam.

Last year's data released by United States customs indicates that Vietnam exported tire products worth approximately US$525 million to the U.S. market.

The initiation of the investigation came after the DOC had received a petition for anti-dumping investigation on Vietnamese tire imports on May 13.

In total, the investigation into the case is anticipated to last for 12 months and has the option of being extended for an additional six months.

Throughout the probe, the DOC may choose to issue preliminary conclusions, as well as applying anti-dumping and temporary anti-subsidy measures.

After receiving information regarding the petition, the Vietnamese trade ministry moved to begin activities aimed at supporting enterprises being investigated by the U.S. side.

Particularly, the ministry has been exchanging and consulting with Vietnamese agencies and export businesses, in addition to the U.S. side, to clarify the contents of the petition.

The ministry has been closely coordinating with related ministries to report the incident to the prime minister while also proposing plans on handling the case in order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese firms.

In an effort to respond effectively to the case, the ministry has recommended that Vietnamese exporters should be active in stepping up comprehensive cooperation with the DOC throughout the investigation process.

The ministry will closely cooperate with relevant Vietnamese agencies to assist them in providing all necessary information to the DOC for assessment.

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