VIFORES Vice Chairman Nguyen Ton Quyen said Vietnam’s woodexport to the US accounted for 30 percent of the total forestry shipment valuein the first half, or over 4.3 billion USD. Signals of export to the US remainstable and exporters have signed contracts for the rest of the year.
He predicted that if the US adds China’s wooden furnitureinto the list of commodities subject to higher import tariff, Chinese firms arelikely to transfer goods to Vietnam to change their origin and seek exports.
Huynh Quang Thanh, President of the Binh Duong FurnitureAssociation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hiep Long WoodenFurniture Company, forecast that wood products for export would meetdifficulties in the near future, especially regarding those originating fromChina.
Wooden furniture enterprises, especially those in BinhDuong, are staying active in the process of manufacturing, market research, andexport so the full impact of the US-China trade war remains uncertain.
There are some concerns that Chinese wooden furnitureproducers will flood into Vietnam to build or relocate their manufacturingplants, making it easier for them to attain a Vietnam origin certification fortheir products, as well as enjoying incentives brought about by free tradeagreements that Vietnam has signed with countries and organisations worldwide,and advantages in low workforce cost.
If wooden furniture exports to the US increase by 15-20percent in the near future, the US government is very likely to impose an anti-dumpingtax on them, posing difficulties to Vietnamese wood manufacturers, he said.
Thanh added that the association has asked its member unitsto improve manufacturing and corporate governance capacity, as well as modernisingits equipment to enhance competitiveness.
Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Administration ofForestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Cao ChiCong assured that the MARD and Ministry of Industry and Trade have devisedmeasures to disallow businesses from China or other countries to considerVietnam a transit of wooden furniture for export to the US. -VNA