Vietnam will impose anti-dumping tariffs on steel from China, following South Korea and other nations in fighting back against surging supplies from the world’s biggest producer.
The Southeast Asian nation will impose temporary tariffs on some hot-rolled coil starting from early March, according to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Friday. Outside China itself, Vietnam is the biggest single buyer of Chinese steel, and hot-rolled coil is a major export product.
China’s sent the most steel overseas in nine years in 2024, as its producers turned to global markets to offset a deep construction slowdown at home. That set the stage for President Donald Trump to propose a blanket 25 percent tariff on all US imports, and has prompted nations from South Korea to Brazil and India to consider levies.
The flurry of protectionism will pile pressure on Beijing to rein in its billion-ton steel industry after several years of slowing domestic demand. Steel futures in China fell as much as 1.8 percent, while steelmakers in Vietnam advanced.