Phạm Thu Hằng, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam,

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Thursday rejected the conclusions of an investigation into forced labour practices by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) resulting in proposed tariffs of 12.5 per cent on Vietnamese goods as "not accurately reflecting the reality and Việt Nam's effort in preventing and mitigating forced labour."

Phạm Thu Hằng, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam, made the remarks at the regular press briefing in Hà Nội in response to queries over the latest USTR findings.

The findings were released on June 2, following an investigation into 60 partner economies related to the failure to impose or enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour, and whether these acts are unreasonable and burden US commerce. The probe followed a process outlined in Section 301 of the 1974 US Trade Act.

Hằng said that Việt Nam strictly prohibits all forms of forced labour and strictly complies with the regulations of international labour organisations and free trade agreements. This policy is specifically stipulated in legal documents and Government action plans and programmes, and is consistently upheld in practice.

In recent years, Việt Nam has also participated in and ratified relevant international conventions and treaties to ensure the full implementation of workers' rights and obligations.

Việt Nam has participated in the investigation process and provided full and detailed information to the US throughout, the ministry spokeswoman said.

In this spirit, Việt Nam will continue to work with the US in a constructive and cooperative manner to resolve existing disagreements based on each side's bilateral and multilateral trade commitments, while striving to protect the legitimate interests of workers and businesses, she added.

On June 2, the USTR released its findings into "failures to take action on trade in forced labour goods", determining that all 60 economies investigated had failed either to impose or effectively enforce prohibitions on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.

Việt Nam was among 54 economies that the USTR claimed had failed to both impose and effectively enforce such prohibitions, alongside China, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand, Switzerland and the UAE, among others, and will face a proposed 12.5 per cent tariff.

Six economies that are deemed to have failed to effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour – Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan – are facing 10 per cent tariffs.

The investigation was launched on March 12. The tariff proposals are subject to a public consultation process, with written comments due by July 6 and hearings scheduled for July 7. — VNS