Vietnam''s seafood producers fight US anti dumping suit

Quang Ninh province, February 13, 2004 1. Shrimp pond at shrimp farm - pans 2. Ponds with workers in distance walking 3. Set-up shot of Do Dinh Dung 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Do Dinh Dung, assistant to director, American Technology Inc (ATI): "In Vietnam, ATI (American Technology Inc ) is very big, big company which produces shrimp, so if Vietnam loses in the battle between the US and Vietnam, that''s very hard for Vietnamese - for ATI also - for workers who work for ATI." Hanoi, February 17, 2004 5. Exterior of Ministry of Trade 6. Set-up shot of Nguyen Huu Chi, Director General of Board for Competition Administration, Ministry of Trade 7. SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese) Nguyen Huu Chi, Director General of Board for Competition Administration, Ministry of Trade: "Personally, I think this lawsuit is in contrast to the Vietnam-US bilateral trade agreement signed previously and in contrast to the spirit of of trade liberalisation that the US has declared in many places. And I especially think that this is evidence of US protectionism over domestic production". 8. Close-up of Nguyen''s hands 9. SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese) Nguyen Huu Chi, Director General of Board for Competition Administration, Ministry of Trade: "In fact, Vietnam''s shrimp processors and exporters do not dump the price in the US market. Vietnam''s economy has operated towards market mechanisms, especially in the shrimp industry. The Vietnamese government has granted no subsidies to shrimp farmers, processors or exporters. The lower price of Vietnamese shrimp is due to the favourable natural conditions and the technology of breeding shrimp, which are competitive compared to those of the US. In the shrimp lawsuit, Vietnam wants relevant agencies of the US to conduct an unbiased and fair trial for the development of Vietnam-US trade ties". Mekong Delta, File (July 2002) 10. Wide shot of Mekong Delta 11. Boats on water 12. Exterior of Long Xuyen processing factory 13. Various of interior of factory with workers processing shrimp STORYLINE: The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) is set to rule on Tuesday on whether American shrimpers have suffered from imports, a key hurdle US shrimpers must overcome to have duties imposed on cheap, pond-raised imports. American shrimpers filed an anti-dumping petition against imports of frozen and canned shrimp from six South American and Asian countries on December 31. The suit targets Vietnam, Thailand, China, India, Brazil and Ecuador. The exporters deny the dumping claim, saying the United States is ignoring free trade to protect its own businesses. Vietnam''s seafood producers are preparing to fight any play to impose shrimp tariffs and, according to state media, have hired an American law firm to represent its interests. Fighting the suit will cost the Vietnamese producers up to one-point-five (m) million US dollars, local media have reported. The director-general of Vietnam''s Board for Competition Administration at the Ministry of Trade said on Tuesday that, in his view, the lawsuit went against a Vietnam-US bilateral trade agreement and was evidence of protectionism. The dispute comes in the wake of an acrimonious trade spat between Hanoi and Washington over catfish. Aquaculture is a major source of foreign earnings for Vietnam, the second after crude oil. In 2002, Vietnam''s shrimp exports to the United States were worth 467 (m) million U-S dollars, nearly half the country''s total shrimp exports. Officials have said sanctions could affect three (m) million Vietnamese whose livelihoods are linked to the shrimp industry. If it rules against the American shrimpers, then the petition is terminated, said a spokesperson for the US Southern Shrimp Alliance. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/5b23c7964553760076286f36eed13e1d Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork