Certain Steel Threaded Rod From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2014-2015

AGENCY:

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

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (the “Department”) published the Preliminary Results of the sixth administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain steel threaded rod from the People's Republic of China (“PRC”) on May 13, 2016. The period of review (“POR”) is April 1, 2014, through March 31, 2015. This review covers two PRC exporters of subject merchandise, RMB Fasteners Ltd., IFI & Morgan Ltd., and Jiaxing Brother Standard Part Co., Ltd. (collectively “the RMB/IFI Group”), and Zhejiang New Oriental Fastener Co., Ltd. (“New Oriental”). The final dumping margins are listed below in the “Final Results of Administrative Review” section of this notice.

DATES:

Effective November 22, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew Devine or Paul Walker, AD/CVD Operations, Office V, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone 202-482-0238 or 202-482-0413, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

As noted above, the Department published the Preliminary Results on May 13, 2016. In accordance with 19 CFR 351.309, we invited parties to comment on our Preliminary Results. Between June 20, 2016, and June 27, 2016, Vulcan Threaded Products Inc. (“Petitioner”), the RMB/IFI Group, and New Oriental submitted case and rebuttal briefs. On August 10, 2016, the Department extended the deadline for the final results to November 14, 2016.

Scope of the Order

The merchandise covered by the order includes steel threaded rod. The subject merchandise is currently classifiable under subheading 7318.15.5051, 7318.15.5056, 7318.15.5090, and 7318.15.2095 of the United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule (“HTSUS”). Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, our written description of the scope of the order, which is contained in the accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum (“I&D Memo”), is dispositive.

Analysis of Comments Received

We addressed all issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs by parties in this review in the I&D Memo. Attached to this notice, in Appendix I, is a list of the issues which parties raised. The I&D Memo is a public document and is on file in the Central Records Unit (“CRU”), Room B8024 of the main Department of Commerce building, as well as electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (“ACCESS”). ACCESS is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov and in the CRU. In addition, a complete version of the I&D Memo can be accessed directly on the internet at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/index.html. The signed I&D Memo and the electronic versions of the I&D Memo are identical in content.

Changes Since the Preliminary Results

Based on our review of the record and comments received from interested parties regarding our Preliminary Results, we have now recalculated a dumping margin based on revisions to the surrogate financial ratios and changes to the calculation methodology regarding treatment of New Oriental's cost, insurance, and freight (“CIF”) sales. For a list of all issues addressed in these final results, please refer to Appendix I accompanying this notice.

PRC-Wide Entity

The Department continues to find that the following six companies subject to this review that are not eligible for separate rate status or rescission are part of the PRC-wide entity: Brother Holding Group Co., Ltd.; Jiaxing Xinyue Standard Part Co., Ltd.; Zhejiang Heiter Industries Co., Ltd.; Zhejiang Heiter MFG & Trade Co., Ltd.; Zhejiang Junyue Standard Part Co., Ltd.; and Zhejiang Morgan Brother Technology Co., Ltd.

Final Results of Administrative Review

The weighted-average dumping margins for the administrative review are as follows:

Assessment Rates

Pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the “Act”), and 19 CFR 351.212(b), the Department has determined, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries of subject merchandise in accordance with the final results of this review. The Department intends to issue appropriate assessment instructions directly to CBP 15 days after publication of the final results of this administrative review.

Where the respondent reported reliable entered values, we calculated importer (or customer)-specific ad valorem rates by aggregating the dumping margins calculated for all U.S. sales to each importer (or customer) and dividing this amount by the total entered value of the sales to each importer (or customer). Where the Department calculated a weighted-average dumping margin by dividing the total amount of dumping for reviewed sales to that party by the total sales quantity associated with those transactions, the Department will direct CBP to assess importer-specific assessment rates based on the resulting per-unit rates. Where an importer- (or customer-) specific ad valorem or per-unit rate is greater than de minimis, the Department will instruct CBP to collect the appropriate duties at the time of liquidation. Where an importer- (or customer-) specific ad valorem or per-unit rate is zero or de minimis, the Department will instruct CBP to liquidate appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties.

Pursuant to the Department's assessment practice, for entries that were not reported in the U.S. sales databases submitted by companies individually examined during this review, the Department will instruct CBP to liquidate such entries at the PRC-wide entity rate. Additionally, if the Department determines that an exporter had no shipments of the subject merchandise, any suspended entries that entered under that exporter's case number (i.e., at that exporter's rate) will be liquidated at the PRC-wide entity rate.

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the final results of this administrative review for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date, as provided for by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) For the exporters listed above, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established in the final results of review (except, if the rate is zero or de minimis, i.e., less than 0.5 percent, a zero cash deposit rate will be required for that company); (2) for previously investigated or reviewed PRC and non-PRC exporters not listed above that have separate rates, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the exporter-specific rate published for the most recent period; (3) for all PRC exporters of subject merchandise which have not been found to be entitled to a separate rate, the cash deposit rate will be the PRC-Wide rate of 206 percent; and (4) for all non-PRC exporters of subject merchandise which have not received their own rate, the cash deposit rate will be the rate applicable to the PRC exporters that supplied that non-PRC exporter. The deposit requirements shall remain in effect until further notice.

Disclosure

We will disclose the calculations performed within five days of the date of publication of this notice to parties in this proceeding in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Notification to Importers

This notice also serves as a final reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this POR. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Department's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of doubled antidumping duties.

Administrative Protective Orders

This notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to administrative protective order (“APO”) of their responsibility concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return or destruction of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO is a violation which is subject to sanction.

We are issuing and publishing these final results of administrative review in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act.

Appendix I—Issues and Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Scope

III. Background

IV. Discussion of the Issues

Comment 1: Selection of Surrogate Country

Comment 2: Bulgarian Financial Ratios

Comment 3: Treatment of Irrecoverable VAT

Comment 4: Proposed Changes to the Calculation Methodology for New Oriental's CIF Sales

VI. Conclusion