Vietnam ships more Chinese goods to US

Vietnam's imports from China and exports to the United States both reached a post-pandemic record in April, amid talks with Washington to reduce Hanoi’s trade surplus and a crackdown on Chinese goods being shipped to the US via its territory.

- FRANCESCO GUARASCIO KHANH VU

The Southeast Asian nation faces the risk of 46% duties on its exports to the US if the White House confirms this rate at the end of a global tariff pause in July. This could undermine Vietnam's growth model and hit multinationals exporting from the country, including Samsung and Nike.

Hanoi has made multiple offers to the Trump administration to avoid high levies, including clamping down on illegal transshipment of Chinese goods to the US via Vietnam. Goods benefit from lower tariffs if labelled as ‘Made in Vietnam’

However, trade trends that have attracted US criticism are accelerating, potentially complicating Vietnam's efforts to extract US concessions in ongoing trade talks.