Certain Lined Paper Products From India: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, Preliminary Determination of No Shipments; 2017-2018

AGENCY:

Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain lined paper products from India, covering the period September 1, 2017 through August 31, 2018. We preliminarily find that Navneet Education Ltd. (Navneet) made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (POR) and that SAB International (SAB) did not. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES:

Applicable November 14, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cindy Robinson or Samuel Brummitt, AD/CVD Operations, Office III, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3797 or (202) 482-7851, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On September 28, 2006, Commerce published the CLPP from India AD Order in the Federal Register. On November 15, 2018, pursuant to section 751(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), Commerce initiated an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain lined paper products from India. Commerce exercised its discretion to toll all deadlines affected by the partial federal government closure from December 22, 2018 through the resumption of operations on January 28, 2019. On June 19, 2019, we extended the deadline for the preliminary results to November 8, 2019.

Commerce initiated this administrative review covering the following thirteen companies: Cellpage Ventures Private Limited (Cellpage), Goldenpalm Manufacturers PVT Limited (Goldenpalm), Kokuyo Riddhi Paper Products Private Limited (Kokuyo), Lodha Offset Limited (Lodha), Lotus Global Private Limited (Lotus Global), Magic International Pvt. Ltd. (Magic), Marisa International (Marisa), Navneet, Pioneer Stationery Private Limited (Pioneer), PP Bafna Ventures Private Limited (PP Bafna), SAB, SGM Paper Products, and Super Impex. This review covers two mandatory respondents, Navneet and SAB. The other eleven companies were not selected for individual examination and remain subject to this administrative review.

Scope of the Order

The merchandise covered by the CLPP from India AD Order is certain lined paper products. The merchandise subject to this order is currently classified under the following Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings: 4811.90.9035, 4811.90.9080, 4820.30.0040, 4810.22.5044, 4811.90.9050, 4811.90.9090, 4820.10.2010, 4820.10.2020, 4820.10.2030, 4820.10.2040, 4820.10.2050, 4820.10.2060, and 4820.10.4000. Although the HTSUS numbers are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written product description remains dispositive. A full description of the scope of the CLPP from India AD Order is contained in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Preliminary Determination of No Shipments

On November 22 and December 6, 2018, in their respective responses to Commerce's quantity and value questionnaire, Lodha and Pioneer reported that they had no exports or sales of subject merchandise into the United States during the POR. On December 10, 2018, Marisa submitted a certification of no shipments. To confirm Lodha's, Marisa's, and Pioneer's no-shipment claims, Commerce issued a no-shipment inquiry to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requesting that it review Lodha's, Marisa's, and Pioneer's no-shipment claims. CBP reported that it had no information to contradict these claims of no shipments during the POR.

Given that Lodha, Marisa, and Pioneer reported that they made no shipments of subject merchandise to the United States during the POR, and there is no information calling their claims into question, we preliminarily determine that Lodha, Pioneer, and Marisa did not have any reviewable transactions during the POR. Consistent with Commerce's practice, we will not rescind the review with respect to Lodha, Marisa, and Pioneer but, rather, will complete the review and issue instructions to CBP based on the final results.

Methodology

Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 751(a)(2) of the Act. Export price is calculated in accordance with section 772 of the Act. Normal value is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act. For a full description of the methodology underlying our preliminary results, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov and is available to all parties in the Central Records Unit, Room B-8094 of the main Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed Preliminary Decision Memorandum and the electronic version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum are identical in content. A list of the topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is attached as an Appendix to this notice.

Rate for Non-Selected Respondents

For the rate for non-selected respondents in an administrative review, generally, Commerce looks to section 735(c)(5) of the Act, which provides instructions for calculating the all-others rate in a market economy investigation. Under section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act, the all-others rate is normally “an amount equal to the weighted-average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for exporters and producers individually investigated, excluding any zero or de minimis margins, and any margins determined entirely {on the basis of facts available}.” In this segment of the proceeding, we calculated a margin for Navneet that was not zero, de minimis, or based on facts available. Accordingly, we have preliminarily applied the margin calculated for Navneet to the non-individually examined respondents.

Preliminary Results of the Review

We preliminarily determine that, for the period September 1, 2017 through August 31, 2018, the following weighted-average dumping margins exist:

Assessment Rates

Upon issuance of the final results, Commerce shall determine, and CBP shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review. If the weighted-average dumping margin for Navneet or SAB is not zero or de minimis (i.e., less than 0.5 percent), we will calculate importer-specific ad valorem antidumping duty assessment rates based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for each importer's examined sales to the total entered value of those same sales in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). If the weighted-average dumping margin for the respondents listed above is zero or de minimis in the final results, or an importer-specific assessment rate is zero or de minimis in the final results, we will instruct CBP not to assess antidumping duties on any of their entries in accordance with the Final Modification for Reviews.

In accordance with Commerce's assessment practice, for entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by Navneet or SAB for which it did not know that its merchandise was destined for the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate unreviewed entries at the all-others rate of 3.91 percent, as established in the less-than-fair-value investigation, if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction. For a full discussion of this matter, see Assessment Policy Notice.

We intend to issue liquidation instructions to CBP 15 days after publication of the final results of this review.

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the notice of final results of administrative review for all shipments of subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the final results of this administrative review, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for respondents noted above will be the rates established in the final results of this administrative review; (2) for merchandise exported by producers or exporters not covered in this administrative review but covered in a prior segment of the proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the original investigation, but the producer is, then the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding for the producer of the subject merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers or exporters will continue to be 3.91 percent, the all-others rate established in the investigation. These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Disclosure and Public Comment

We will disclose to parties to the proceeding any calculations performed in connection with these preliminary results of review within five days after the date of publication of this notice. Interested parties may submit case briefs not later than 30 days after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed no later than five days after the date for filing case briefs. Parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of authorities. All briefs must be filed electronically using ACCESS. An electronically filed document must be received successfully in its entirety by the established deadline.

Interested parties who wish to request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain: (1) The party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of participants; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in the respective case and rebuttal briefs. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230, at a time and date to be determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

We intend to issue the final results of this administrative review, including the results of our analysis of the issues raised in any written briefs, not later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.

Notification to Importers

This notice serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties and/or countervailing duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this review period. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Commerce's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and increase the subsequent assessment of the antidumping duties.

Notification to Interested Parties

We are issuing and publishing these results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(1).

Appendix

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Background

III. Scope of the Order

IV. Preliminary Determination of No Shipments

V. Companies Not Selected for Individual Examination

VI. Discussion of the Methodology

VII. Currency Conversion

VIII. Recommendation