Up to 66 percent of Vietnamese export businesses admitted that theyfailed to understand the basic content of WTO rules, in a recent surveyby the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while 50 percent ofbusinesses were unaware of the WTO commitments related to their sectorsor business areas.
Since 1994, Vietnam has been involved in 42 trade disputes, 35 of which were anti-dumping actions.
In order to avoid the imposition of measures by other trading partnerson domestic exporters, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang from the chamber's TradeRemedies Council urged domestic firms to sharpen their competitivenessby increasing the quality of their products rather than by reducingprices, as well as to perfect their accounting and financial systems inaccordance with international standards.
She emphasisedthe importance of closer co-operation between businesses, particularlywithin the same sector. Trade defence lawsuits could affect the entiresector, so the effort of only a small number of businesses wasinsufficient.
Exporters also needed to retain professional legal services to advise them on complex WTO-related legal issues, Trang said.
VietnamTextile and Garment Association vice chairman Le Van Dao saidthat, despite facing no anti-dumping suits to date, the garment sectorlacked the necessary knowledge to deal with trade disputes.
Vietnamhad also failed to used trade defence measures for its ownbenefit, to protect its domestic industries in the way other countrieshad done, said the deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade'sCompetition Administration Department, Vu Ba Phu.
However,Trang said, while trade defence measures could be used to cope withabnormal import cases, they could not be used in every instanceimporters had problems. The measures could only be applied underspecific conditions and circumstances set forth under WTO rules, sobusinesses needed to make a greater effort to understand thoseregulations.
Vietnamese firms were also entitled to askState administrative agencies to investigate and apply measures againstimported goods that present an instance of unhealthy competition, saidhead of the chamber's legal department, Tran Huu Huynh.
But many businesses have yet to pay due attention to this option due totheir inadequate understanding of the measures and the lack ofinformation or sufficient cooperation needed to lodge a complaint.
"This can cause losses for Vietnamese businesses on their home market," Huynh said.
He suggested businesses and associations be more proactive in applyinglegal measures under WTO regulations to raise their competitive capacityin the domestic market./.
Since 1994, Vietnam has been involved in 42 trade disputes, 35 of which were anti-dumping actions.
In order to avoid the imposition of measures by other trading partnerson domestic exporters, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang from the chamber's TradeRemedies Council urged domestic firms to sharpen their competitivenessby increasing the quality of their products rather than by reducingprices, as well as to perfect their accounting and financial systems inaccordance with international standards.
She emphasisedthe importance of closer co-operation between businesses, particularlywithin the same sector. Trade defence lawsuits could affect the entiresector, so the effort of only a small number of businesses wasinsufficient.
Exporters also needed to retain professional legal services to advise them on complex WTO-related legal issues, Trang said.
VietnamTextile and Garment Association vice chairman Le Van Dao saidthat, despite facing no anti-dumping suits to date, the garment sectorlacked the necessary knowledge to deal with trade disputes.
Vietnamhad also failed to used trade defence measures for its ownbenefit, to protect its domestic industries in the way other countrieshad done, said the deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade'sCompetition Administration Department, Vu Ba Phu.
However,Trang said, while trade defence measures could be used to cope withabnormal import cases, they could not be used in every instanceimporters had problems. The measures could only be applied underspecific conditions and circumstances set forth under WTO rules, sobusinesses needed to make a greater effort to understand thoseregulations.
Vietnamese firms were also entitled to askState administrative agencies to investigate and apply measures againstimported goods that present an instance of unhealthy competition, saidhead of the chamber's legal department, Tran Huu Huynh.
But many businesses have yet to pay due attention to this option due totheir inadequate understanding of the measures and the lack ofinformation or sufficient cooperation needed to lodge a complaint.
"This can cause losses for Vietnamese businesses on their home market," Huynh said.
He suggested businesses and associations be more proactive in applyinglegal measures under WTO regulations to raise their competitive capacityin the domestic market./.
