US to continue to classify Vietnam as non-market economy country

“Today, the US Department of Commerce announced its determination that Vietnam will continue to be classified as a non-market economy country for purposes of calculating US anti-dumping duties on imports from Vietnam,” the department said in a statement.

“This finding means that the methodology used in calculating US anti-dumping duties on imports from Vietnam remains the same,” it said.

Vietnam has long argued it should be freed of the non-market label because of recent economic reforms, and it has said that retaining the moniker is bad for increasingly close two-way ties that Washington sees as a counterbalance to China.

Opponents argued that Hanoi’s policy commitments have not been matched by concrete actions and it operates as a planned economy governed by the ruling Communist Party. They say Vietnam is increasingly being used as a manufacturing hub by Chinese firms to circumvent US curbs on imports from China.

Vietnam’s Washington embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.