Certain Stilbenic Optical Brightening Agents From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2019-2020

AGENCY:

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

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that the sole producer/exporter subject to this review made sales of subject merchandise in the United States at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), May 1, 2019, through April 30, 2020.

DATES:

Applicable September 15, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dmitry Vladimirov, AD/CVD Operations, Office I, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-0665.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On July 16, 2021, Commerce published the Preliminary Results of the 2019-2020 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain stilbenic optical brightening agents (stilbenic OBAs) from Taiwan. This administrative review covers one producer/exporter of the subject merchandise, Teh Fong Ming International Co., Ltd. (TFM). We invited parties to comment on the Preliminary Results. No party submitted comments. Accordingly, the final results remain unchanged from the Preliminary Results.

Commerce conducted this review in accordance with sections 751(a)(1)(B) and (2) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).

Scope of the Order

The stilbenic OBAs covered by this Order are all forms (whether free acid or salt) of compounds known as triazinylaminostilbenes (i.e., all derivatives of 4,4′-bis [1,3,5- triazin-2-yl] amino- 2,2′-stilbenedisulfonic acid), except for compounds listed in the following paragraph. The stilbenic OBAs covered by this Order include final stilbenic OBA products, as well as intermediate products that are themselves triazinylaminostilbenes produced during the synthesis of stilbenic OBA products.

Excluded from this Order are all forms of 4,4′-bis[4-anilino-6-morpholino-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl] amino-2,2′-stilbenedisulfonic acid, C40H40N12O8S2 (“Fluorescent Brightener 71”). This Order covers the above-described compounds in any state (including but not limited to powder, slurry, or solution), of any concentrations of active stilbenic OBA ingredient, as well as any compositions regardless of additives (i.e., mixtures or blends, whether of stilbenic OBAs with each other, or of stilbenic OBAs with additives that are not stilbenic OBAs), and in any type of packaging.

These stilbenic OBAs are classifiable under subheading 3204.20.8000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), but they may also enter under subheadings 2933.69.6050, 2921.59.4000 and 2921.59.8090. Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise is dispositive.

Final Results of Review

As noted above, Commerce received no comments concerning the Preliminary Results. As there are no changes from, or comments upon, the Preliminary Results, Commerce finds that there is no reason to modify its analysis and calculations. Accordingly, we adopt the analysis and explanation in our Preliminary Results for the purposes of these final results of review and we have not prepared an Issues and Decision Memorandum to accompany this Federal Register notice. The final weighted-average dumping margin of 2.91 percent exists for entries of subject merchandise that were produced and exported by TFM during the POR.

Assessment Rates

Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review, in accordance with section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.212(b). Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the Federal Register. If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired (i.e., within 90 days of publication).

For TFM, we calculated importer-specific assessment rates on the basis of the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for each importer's examined sales and the total entered value of those sales in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). Where an importer-specific assessment rate is de minimis (i.e., less than 0.5 percent), the entries by that importer will be liquidated without reference to antidumping duties.

For entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by TFM 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 if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction.

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication in the Federal Register of this notice for all shipments of stilbenic OBAs from Taiwan entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication as provided by section 751(a)(2) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for TFM will be 2.91percent, the weighted-average dumping margin established in the final results of this administrative review; (2) for merchandise exported by companies not covered in this review but covered in a prior segment of this proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recent period; (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 for the producer of the merchandise; (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers or exporters will continue to be 6.19 percent, the all-others rate established in the less-than-fair-value investigation. These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Disclosure

Normally, Commerce discloses to the parties in a proceeding the calculations performed in connection with a final results of review within five days after public announcement of final results. However, because Commerce made no adjustments to the margin calculation methodology used in the Preliminary Results, there are no calculations to disclose for the final results of review.

Notification to Importers

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

Administrative Protective Order

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 the 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/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.

Notification to Interested Parties

We are issuing and publishing this notice in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(5).