"Instead of receiving a stronger commitment for development assistance, developing countries have fallen victim to unfair practices in international trade," Deputy Foreign Minister Le Conh Phung told the UN General Assembly.
"A case in point is the application of protectionist measures under the form of anti-dumping duties imposed on Vietnam's catfish and shrimp, as well as similar products of other developing countries," he said.
"This has not only run counter to the principles of the WTO (World Trade Organisation) but also undermined poverty reduction efforts of the Vietnamese government," he told the assembly.
Tariffs on both Vietnamese and Chinese shrimp imports bound for the United States could subsequently be adjusted. But they are to be collected until a final ruling by the US International Trade Commission in January.
The United States is the number one market for Vietnamese shrimp, the Asian nation's largest seafood export. It has insisted that local producers have not undercut the US market.
Seafood products including shrimp are Vietnam's fourth-biggest export earner.
The United States was Vietnam's largest shrimp export market in 2002, taking 467 million dollars in shrimp -- 48 percent of total shrimp exports.
Source: eFeedLink - 29th September 2004
