Vietnam Eyes Crackdown on Some China Trade

In hopes of avoiding punishing US tariffs, Vietnam is preparing to crack down on Chinese goods being routed through its territory to the US and plans to tighten controls on sensitive exports to China, Francesco Guarascio reported for Reuters, citing a government document and a source familiar with the matter.

Export-dependent Vietnam hopes to negotiate a reduction in the tariff to a range of 22% to 28%. I Photo: Saigon Port

Details of the offer, reported for the first time by Reuters, emerged as senior US officials — including influential White House trade adviser Peter Navarro — raised concerns about Chinese products being relabeled as "Made in Vietnam" to avoid tariffs.

Vietnam has been offering trade sweeteners in hopes of persuading the Trump administration to take a more favorable view of its large trade surplus with the US.

Despite these efforts, Vietnam was hit with a 46% tariff as part of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff salvo. While the tariff has been suspended for 90 days, the two countries agreed to enter negotiations after a Vietnamese deputy prime minister met with the US Trade Representative.

Export-dependent Vietnam hopes to negotiate a reduction in the tariff to a range of 22% to 28%, according to three people with knowledge of the talks. One said that US officials had signaled this range was likely during a bilateral meeting in March.