Donald Trump government investigates Vietnam: US invites to contribute evidence

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on May 23

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The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) invited contributors to comment after announcing two separate investigations involving Vietnam. Donald Trump administration officially investigates Vietnam 'currency manipulation'. Earlier on October 2, USTR announced that, at the order of President Donald Trump, they opened an investigation into two issues related to Vietnam. One is an investigation into whether Vietnam deliberately devalues ​​the dong, causing harm to the US. The second is to investigate whether Vietnam's timber export is based on illegal wood imports.

The announcement made by the US trade representative, according to Article 301 of the Trade Act issued in 1974, is the same process that the US uses to impose tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the US. The USTR is now releasing additional documents and asking interested persons to submit comments on the Regulations.gov website by 11/12/2020.

Investigation of dong

Regarding the investigation accusing Vietnam of 'currency manipulation ', the USTR invited comments on questions such as:

• Whether or not the Vietnamese currency will be depreciated by how much

• Relevant policies of Vietnam

• Restrictions on US trade due to behavior of Vietnam ...

• The USTR says comments submitted should be in English and sent online.

Investigation of 'illegal timber'

The USTR says the investigation focuses on issues such as whether Vietnam's import of illegal timber violates domestic or international law. The US side explained that in 2019, wood products from Vietnam exported to the US were worth up to $ 3.7 billion. They have a supply of goods, Vietnam must import wood from many countries. The US says the evidence so far shows that a part of imported wood is contraband. The US expressed concern over the news that much of the wood imported from Cambodia to Vietnam came from protected lands, in violation of international law.