This is the response of the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) to a complaint Turkey has filed with the WTO asking permission to impose emergency import tariffs on Vietnamese mobile phones.

Such ‘safeguard tariffs’ are permitted if a country can show that a surge in imports is irreparably damaging domestic producers, but they may be challenged by other WTO members.

Turkey’s is the first petition for safeguard tariffs on mobile phones and many governments are increasingly using these safeguards as part of a trend fostering economic growth by blocking foreign competition without any foul of the WTO rules, a representative of the VCA says.