Vietnam's shrimp industry fights back at US dumping charges

HANOI, (AFP) — Vietnam's shrimp industry said it has hired a US law firm to fight anti-dumping complaints filed by American shrimp producers, as state media unleashed a furious tirade against US protectionism.

The Vietnam Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said it would spend an estimated 1.5 million dollars to fight the lawsuit lodged last Wednesday by the US Southern Shrimp Alliance, an eight-state group of shrimpers and processors.

"We formally appointed Willkie Farr and Gallagher on Monday to act on our behalf in this case," said Truong Dinh Hoe, deputy secretary general of VASEP's shrimp commission.

"We hope we will be successful in fighting the charges because we think they are unfair," he added.

Besides Vietnam, the Southern Shrimp Alliance also filed similar lawsuits at the US International Trade Commission and the Commerce Department against China, Thailand, India, Brazil and Ecuador.

The alliance claims the ...