US, Vietnamese businesses ask Trump to delay 46% tariffs on Vietnam
HANOI,
April 6 (Reuters) - U.S. and Vietnamese businesses have asked the Trump
administration to delay its planned 46% tariff on Vietnamese goods,
saying the levy will hurt them and bilateral commercial relations.
The
Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the American Chamber of
Commerce in Hanoi expressed concern to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
in a letter dated Saturday, saying the tariff, to take effect on
Wednesday, was "shockingly high".
"Lower
tariffs for products coming into Vietnam, and for products reaching the
American consumer is what will help U.S. companies, the economy, and
consumers," AmCham and VCCI said in a statement. "Higher tariffs will
not."
The
Southeast Asian country, a major regional manufacturing base for many
Western companies, posted a trade surplus of over $123 billion with the
U.S., its largest export destination, last year.
President Donald Trump
and Vietnamese leader To Lam agreed on Friday to discuss a deal to
remove tariffs, both said after a phone call that Trump called "very
productive".
Even before Trump's Wednesday announcement of sweeping global tariffs,
Vietnam cut several duties as part of a series of concessions to the
U.S., which also included pledges to buy more American goods, such as
planes and agriculture products.
AmCham
and VCCI said: "A fast and fair agreement would add certainty for
businesses and would help to rectify the trade imbalance between the two
countries in a manner that benefits both countries."
Reporting by Khanh Vu and Francesco Guarascio; Editing by William Mallard
Could tRump even find Vietnam on a world map? Last time there was a possibility of him actually going there, he used a series of draft deferments to stay away.
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