“Vietnam’s Just a Pathway of China” to the U.S., Says Commerce Secretary

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on June 04, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The pressure on Vietnam in the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China went up significantly on Wednesday when Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made it very clear that eliminating all trade tariffs on U.S. goods will not be enough to satisfy the Trump administration.

In an animated exchange with Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy, Lutnick said the fundamental problem with Vietnam is that it’s serving as a transshipment hub for tens of billions of dollars of Chinese goods that are then exported to the United States:

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by CGSP Staff

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