Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China; Preliminary Results, Partial Intent to Rescind and Partial Rescission of the 2005-06 Administrative Review, 2214-2222 [E8-456]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 9 / Monday, January 14, 2008 / Notices
Department will issue the preliminary
determination no later than April 7,
2008.
This notice is issued and published
pursuant to section 703(c)(2) of the Act.
Dated: January 8, 2008.
David M. Spooner,
Assistant Secretaryfor Import Administration.
[FR Doc. E8–455 Filed 1–11–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–570–891]
Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof
from the People’s Republic of China;
Preliminary Results, Partial Intent to
Rescind and Partial Rescission of the
2005–06 Administrative Review
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: In response to requests from
interested parties, the Department of
Commerce (‘‘the Department’’) is
conducting an administrative review of
the antidumping duty order on hand
trucks and certain parts thereof (‘‘hand
trucks’’) from the People’s Republic of
China (‘‘PRC’’) covering the period
December 1, 2005, through November
30, 2006. We have preliminarily
determined that sales have been made
below normal value (‘‘NV’’) by one
exporter participating in the review. We
have also preliminarily rescinded the
review for five exporters that did not
have any exports during the period of
review (‘‘POR’’) or whose request for
review was timely withdrawn. We have
also preliminarily determined that two
companies have not demonstrated that
they are entitled to separate rates and
have assigned them the rate for the
PRC–wide entity. If these preliminary
results are adopted in the final results
of these reviews, we will instruct U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (‘‘CBP’’)
to assess antidumping duties on all
appropriate entries.
Interested parties are invited to
comment on these preliminary results.
We will issue the final results no later
than 120 days from the date of
publication of this notice.
EFFECTIVE DATE: (January 14, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul
Stolz, AD/CVD Operations, Office 8,
Import Administration, International
Trade Administration, U.S. Department
of Commerce, 14th Street and
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,
DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–4474.
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AGENCY:
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Background
On December 1, 2006, the Department
published a notice of opportunity to
request an administrative review of the
antidumping duty order on hand trucks
from the PRC. See Antidumping or
Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or
Suspended Investigation; Opportunity
To Request Administrative Review, 71
FR 69543 (December 1, 2006). In
accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(b)(1),
on December 29, 2006, Petitioners,
Gleason Industrial Products, Inc. and
Precision Products, Inc., requested that
the Department conduct an
administrative review for the following
exporters of the subject merchandise:
Qingdao Huatian Hand Truck Co., Ltd.
(‘‘Huatian’’); Qingdao Future Tool, Inc.
(‘‘Future Tool’’); Qingdao Taifa Group
Co. Ltd. (‘‘Taifa’’); True Potential Co.,
Ltd. (‘‘True Potential’’); Shandong
Machinery I&E Group Corp. (‘‘Shandong
Machinery’’); Since Hardware
(Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. (‘‘Since
Hardware’’); Formost Plastics &
Metalworks (Jiazing) Co., Ltd.
(‘‘Formost’’); and Forecarry Corp
(‘‘Forecarry’’). Also, on December 29,
2006, the Department received a request
to conduct an administrative review
from Taifa, an exporter of the subject
merchandise.
On January 3, 2007, the Department
received a request to conduct an
administrative review from Since
Hardware, an exporter of subject
merchandise from the PRC. On February
2, 2007, the Department published in
the Federal Register a notice of the
initiation of the antidumping duty
administrative review of hand trucks
from the PRC for the period December
1, 2005, through November 30, 2006,
with respect to eight companies. See
Initiation of Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Administrative
Reviews and Request for Revocation in
Part, 72 FR 5005 (February 2, 2007).
On March 1, 2007, the Department
issued quantity and value (‘‘Q&V’’)
questionnaires along with separate rate
applications and certifications to
Forecarry, Formost, Future Tool,
Huatian, Shandong Machinery, Since
Hardware, True Potential, and Taifa
requesting each party’s quantity (i.e.,
pieces) and U.S. dollar sales value of all
exports of hand trucks and parts thereof
to the United States during the POR. See
Quantity and Value Questionnaire
(‘‘Q&V Questionnaire’’) dated March 1,
2007. In our Q&V questionnaire, we
notified all interested parties that we
were considering limiting the number of
respondents selected for review in
accordance with section 777A(c)(2) of
the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended
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(‘‘Act’’), due to the number of firms
requested for this administrative review
and the resulting administrative burden
to review each company for which a
request had been made. On March 15,
2007, we received responses to the Q&V
questionnaire from Huatian, Since
Hardware (stating it had no shipments
during the POR), Taifa and True
Potential. On May 1 and 25, 2007, we
issued letters to Formost, Forecarry,
Future Tool, and Shandong Machinery
providing each a second opportunity to
respond to the Department’s request for
Q&V information. See Second Quantity
and Value Questionnaire dated May 1,
2007 (‘‘Second Q&V Questionnaire’’).
On June 4, 2007, Formost and Forecarry
responded to the Department’s request
for Q&V information stating that they
had no exports to the United States
during the POR. Future Tool and
Shandong Machinery did not respond to
the Department’s letters. See the ‘‘Facts
Available’’ section of this notice, below,
for further discussion.
On March 15, 2007, Since Hardware
withdrew its request for an
administrative review within the time
limits specified under 19 CFR
351.213(d)(1). See the ‘‘Partial
Rescission of Administrative Review’’
section of this notice, below, for further
discussion. On May 3, 2007, Petitioners
withdrew their request for an
administrative review within the time
limits specified under 19 CFR
351.213(d)(1) with respect to Huatian,
Taifa, and True Potential.
On June 21, 2007, the Department
determined that it was not practicable to
examine individually all of the
companies covered by the 2005–2006
administrative review, and thus it
limited its examination to the largest
producers/exporters that could
reasonably be reviewed, pursuant to
section 777A(c)(2)(B) of the Act.
Therefore, on this date the Department
selected Taifa as the sole respondent
required to submit a full questionnaire
response in the administrative review
(i.e., mandatory respondent). See the
memorandum titled ‘‘Antidumping
Duty Administrative Review of Hand
Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from
the People’s Republic of China:
Selection of Respondents’’ dated June
21, 2007.
On June 22, 2007, we issued the
antidumping duty questionnaire to
Taifa. We received separate–rate
certifications from Taifa and True
Potential. On July 13, 2007, we received
Taifa’s responses to section A of the
Department’s original questionnaire. On
August 14, 2007, we received Taifa’s
response to sections C and D of the
Department’s original questionnaire. On
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September 4, 2007, we issued a
supplemental questionnaire regarding
section A to Taifa. On September 11,
2007, we received Taifa’s response to
our supplemental section A. On
September 14, 2007, we issued a
supplemental questionnaire regarding
sections C and D to Taifa. On October
11, 2007, we received Taifa’s response
to sections C and D of the Department’s
supplemental questionnaire. On
November 26, 2007, we issued a second
supplemental questionnaire regarding
sections A, C, and D to Taifa. On
November 28, 2007, we issued a third
supplemental to Taifia regarding
sections C and D. On December 7, 2007,
we received a response from Taifa to the
November 26, 2007, supplemental
questionnaire. On December 10, 2007,
we received a response from Taifa to the
November 28, 2007, supplemental
questionnaire. On December 14, 2007,
we issued a fourth supplemental to
Taifia regarding section C.
On October 4, 2007, the Department
invited interested parties to comment on
surrogate country selection and to
provide publicly available information
for valuing the factors of production
(‘‘FOPs’’). On October 31, 2007,
Petitioners provided comments on
surrogate country selection.
On August 31, 2007, the Department
issued a Federal Register notice
extending the time limits for the
preliminary results of administrative
review until no later than December 3,
2007. See Hand Trucks and Certain
Parts Thereof From the People’s
Republic of China; Extension of Time
Limits for Preliminary Results in
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 72 FR 51411 (September 7,
2007). Additionally, on November 23,
2007, the Department issued a Federal
Register notice fully extending the time
limits for the preliminary results of
administrative review until no later than
December 31, 2007. See Hand Trucks
and Certain Parts Thereof From the
People’s Republic of China; Full
Extension of Time Limits for
Preliminary Results in Antidumping
Duty Administrative Review, 72 FR
67701 (November 30, 2007).
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Period of Review
The POR covers December 1, 2005,
through November 30, 2006.
Scope of Order
The product covered by this order
consists of hand trucks manufactured
from any material, whether assembled
or unassembled, complete or
incomplete, suitable for any use, and
certain parts thereof, namely the vertical
frame, the handling area and the
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projecting edges or toe plate, and any
combination thereof.
A complete or fully assembled hand
truck is a hand–propelled barrow
consisting of a vertically disposed frame
having a handle or more than one
handle at or near the upper section of
the vertical frame; at least two wheels at
or near the lower section of the vertical
frame; and a horizontal projecting edge
or edges, or toe plate, perpendicular or
angled to the vertical frame, at or near
the lower section of the vertical frame.
The projecting edge or edges, or toe
plate, slides under a load for purposes
of lifting and/or moving the load.
That the vertical frame can be
converted from a vertical setting to a
horizontal setting, then operated in that
horizontal setting as a platform, is not
a basis for exclusion of the hand truck
from the scope of this petition. That the
vertical frame, handling area, wheels,
projecting edges or other parts of the
hand truck can be collapsed or folded is
not a basis for exclusion of the hand
truck from the scope of the petition.
That other wheels may be connected to
the vertical frame, handling area,
projecting edges, or other parts of the
hand truck, in addition to the two or
more wheels located at or near the lower
section of the vertical frame, is not a
basis for exclusion of the hand truck
from the scope of the petition. Finally,
that the hand truck may exhibit physical
characteristics in addition to the vertical
frame, the handling area, the projecting
edges or toe plate, and the two wheels
at or near the lower section of the
vertical frame, is not a basis for
exclusion of the hand truck from the
scope of the petition.
Examples of names commonly used to
reference hand trucks are hand truck,
convertible hand truck, appliance hand
truck, cylinder hand truck, bag truck,
dolly, or hand trolley. They are typically
imported under heading 8716.80.50.10
of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of
the United States (‘‘HTSUS’’), although
they may also be imported under
heading 8716.80.50.90. Specific parts of
a hand truck, namely the vertical frame,
the handling area and the projecting
edges or toe plate, or any combination
thereof, are typically imported under
heading 8716.90.50.60 of the HTSUS.
Although the HTSUS subheadings are
provided for convenience and customs
purposes, the Department’s written
description of the scope is dispositive.
Excluded from the scope are small
two–wheel or four–wheel utility carts
specifically designed for carrying loads
like personal bags or luggage in which
the frame is made from telescoping
tubular material measuring less than 5/
8 inch in diameter; hand trucks that use
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motorized operations either to move the
hand truck from one location to the next
or to assist in the lifting of items placed
on the hand truck; vertical carriers
designed specifically to transport golf
bags; and wheels and tires used in the
manufacture of hand trucks.
Partial Rescission of Administrative
Review
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), the
Secretary must rescind an
administrative review if a party
requesting a review withdraws the
request within 90 days of the date of
publication of the notice of initiation.
As noted above, on March 15, 2007,
Since Hardware timely withdrew its
request for an administrative review.
However, because Petitioners did not
withdraw their review request with
respect to Since Hardware, we are not
rescinding the review for Since
Hardware based on its withdrawal of its
request for review. Also, on May 3,
2007, Petitioners withdrew their request
for an administrative review with
respect to Huatian, Taifa, and True
Potential, in accordance with 19 CFR
351.213(d)(1). Because no other
interested party requested a review of
Huatian or True Potential, in accordance
with 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1) and
consistent with our practice, we are
rescinding the administrative review of
these companies for the POR.
Partial Intent to Rescind
Administrative Review
On March 15, 2007, Since Hardware
responded to the Department’s Q&V
questionnaire stating it had no POR
shipments to the United States. On June
27, 2007, Petitioners submitted
comments arguing that Since Hardware
incorrectly stated that it exported no
subject merchandise to the United
States during the POR. Petitioners based
their argument on the Department’s new
shipper verification report of Since
Hardware from the 2004–2005 new
shipper review. See Letter from
Petitioners; Hand Trucks and Parts
Thereof from the People’s Republic of
China: Selection of Respondents, dated
June 27, 2007, at Exhibit 2, ‘‘Verification
of Sales and Factors Responses of Since
Hardware (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. in the
New Shipper Review of Hand Trucks
and Certain Parts Thereof from the
People’s Republic of China’’ (‘‘NSR
Verification Report’’) (October 5, 2006).
Citing the NSR Verification Report,
Petitioners contend that at verification
in the 2004–2005 review, the
Department compared a post–POR sale
to Since Hardware’s NSR sale. See NSR
Verification Report at page 4. We
examined the NSR Verification Report
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that refers to a production order but
does not refer to an actual sale.
Petitioners have not put forth any other
evidence of a shipment by Since
Hardware during the POR.
Further, record evidence indicates
that Formost, Forecarry, and Since
Hardware did not have any exports of
subject merchandise during the POR.
See March 15, 2007, Q&V response from
Since Hardware and June 4, 2007, Q&V
response from Formost and Forecarry.
Additionally, we have reviewed the CBP
entry data for the POR and found no
evidence of exports from these three
entities. See Memorandum to the File
from Robert Bolling, Hand Trucks and
Certain Parts Thereof from the People’s
Republic of China, No Shipment
Inquiry, dated November 26, 2007, and
Memorandum to the File from Robert
Bolling, Hand Trucks and Certain Parts
Thereof from the People’s Republic of
China, No Shipment Inquiry, dated
December 13, 2007. We have received
no evidence that Formost, Forecarry, or
Since Hardware had any shipments to
the United States of subject
merchandise during the POR. Therefore,
pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(3), the
Department preliminarily rescinds this
review as to Formost, Forecarry, and
Since Hardware.
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Non–Market Economy Country Status
In every case conducted by the
Department involving the PRC, the PRC
has been treated as a non–market
economy (‘‘NME’’) country. Pursuant to
section 771(18)(C)(i) of the Act, any
determination that a foreign country is
an NME country shall remain in effect
until revoked by the administering
authority. See, e.g., Fresh Garlic from
the People’s Republic of China:
Preliminary Results of Antidumping
Duty Administrative Review and
Rescission in Part, 69 FR 70638 (Dec. 7,
2004). None of the parties to this
proceeding has contested such
treatment. Accordingly, we calculated
NV in accordance with section 773(c) of
the Act, which applies to NME
countries.
Surrogate Country
When the Department is investigating
imports from an NME country, section
773(c)(1) of the Act directs it to base NV
on the NME producer’s FOPs. The Act
further instructs that valuation of the
FOPs shall be based on the best
available information in a surrogate
market economy country or countries
considered to be appropriate by the
Department. See Section 773(c)(1) of the
Act. When valuing the FOPs, the
Department shall utilize, to the extent
possible, the prices or costs of FOPs in
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one or more market economy countries
that are: (1) at a level of economic
development comparable to that of the
NME country; and (2) significant
producers of comparable merchandise.
See Section 773(c)(1) of the Act. The
sources of the surrogate values (‘‘SV’’)
are discussed under the Normal Value
section below and in the Memorandum
to the File, Factors Valuations for the
Preliminary Results of the
Administrative Review, dated December
31, 2007 (‘‘Factor Valuation
Memorandum’’), which is on file in the
Central Records Unit (‘‘CRU’’), Room B–
099 of the main Commerce Building.
The Department first determined that
India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the
Philippines, and Egypt are countries
comparable to the PRC in terms of
economic development. See
Memorandum to the File,
Administrative Review of Hand Trucks
and Certain Parts Thereof from the
People’s Republic of China (PRC):
Request for a List of Surrogate
Countries, dated October 3, 2007,
(‘‘Policy Memo’’) which is on file in the
CRU.
On October 4, 2007, the Department
issued a request for parties to submit
comments on surrogate country
selection. On October 31, 2007,
Petitioners submitted comments
regarding the selection of a surrogate
country.1 No other party to the
proceeding submitted information or
comments concerning the selection of a
surrogate country. Petitioners assert that
India is the appropriate surrogate
country for the PRC because India meets
the statutory criteria set forth in section
773(c)(4) of the Act for selection as a
surrogate country for the PRC.
On December 10, 2007, the
Department issued its surrogate country
memorandum in which we addressed
the parties’ comments. See
Memorandum to the File, Antidumping
Duty Administrative Review of Hand
Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from
the People’s Republic of China:
Selection of a Surrogate Country, dated
December 10, 2007 (‘‘Surrogate Country
Memorandum’’), which is on file in the
CRU. After evaluating concerns and
comments, the Department determined
that India is the appropriate surrogate
country to use in this review. The
Department based its decision on the
following facts: 1) India is at a level of
economic development comparable to
that of the PRC; 2) India is a significant
producer of comparable merchandise;
1 Letter dated October 31, 2007, from Petitioners
to Secretary of Commerce, re: Hand Trucks and
Certain Parts Thereof from the People’s Republic of
China.
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and 3) India provides the best
opportunity to use quality, publicly
available data to value the FOPs. See
Surrogate Country Memorandum.
Therefore, we have selected India as
the surrogate country and, accordingly,
have calculated NV using Indian prices
to value the respondents’ FOPs, when
available and appropriate. We have
obtained and relied upon publicly
available information wherever
possible. See Factor Valuation
Memorandum. In accordance with 19
CFR 351.301(c)(3)(ii), interested parties
may submit publicly available
information to value FOPs until 20 days
after the date of publication of these
preliminary results.
Facts Available
A. Application of Facts Available
Section 776(a)(1) and (2) of the Act
provides that the Department shall
apply ‘‘facts otherwise available’’ if,
inter alia, necessary information is not
on the record or an interested party or
any other person (A) withholds
information that has been requested, (B)
fails to provide information within the
deadlines established, or in the form
and manner requested by the
Department, subject to subsections (c)(1)
and (e) of section 782, (C) significantly
impedes a proceeding, or (D) provides
information that cannot be verified as
provided by section 782(i) of the Act.
Where the Department determines
that a response to a request for
information does not comply with the
request, section 782(d) of the Act
provides that the Department will so
inform the party submitting the
response and will, to the extent
practicable, provide that party the
opportunity to remedy or explain the
deficiency. If the party fails to remedy
the deficiency within the applicable
time limits and subject to section 782(e)
of the Act, the Department may
disregard all or part of the original and
subsequent responses, as appropriate.
Section 782(e) of the Act provides that
the Department ‘‘shall not decline to
consider information that is submitted
by an interested party and is necessary
to the determination but does not meet
all applicable requirements established
by the administering authority’’ if the
information is timely, can be verified, is
not so incomplete that it cannot be used,
and if the interested party acted to the
best of its ability in providing the
information. Where all of these
conditions are met, the statute requires
the Department to use the information
supplied if it can do so without undue
difficulties.
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Section 776(b) of the Act further
provides that the Department may use
an adverse inference in applying the
facts otherwise available when a party
has failed to cooperate by not acting to
the best of its ability to comply with a
request for information. Such an adverse
inference may include reliance on
information derived from the petition,
the final determination, a previous
administrative review, or other
information placed on the record.
Section 776(c) of the Act provides
that, when the Department relies on
secondary information rather than on
information obtained in the course of an
investigation or review, it shall, to the
extent practicable, corroborate that
information from independent sources
that are reasonably at its disposal.
Secondary information is defined as
‘‘[i]nformation derived from the petition
that gave rise to the investigation or
review, the final determination
concerning the subject merchandise, or
any previous review under section 751
concerning the subject merchandise.’’
See Statement of Administrative Action,
H.R. Doc. 103–316 at 870 (1994)
(‘‘SAA’’). Corroborate means that the
Department will satisfy itself that the
secondary information to be used has
probative value. Id. To corroborate
secondary information, the Department
will, to the extent practicable, examine
the reliability and relevance of the
information to be used.
requirements to respond to both the
Department’s Q&V questionnaire and
either the separate–rate application or
certification, as appropriate. Both
Future Tool and Shandong Machinery
failed to respond to the Q&V
Questionnaire and the separate–rate
application/certification. Therefore, the
Department determines preliminarily
that there were exports of merchandise
under review from PRC producers/
exporters that did not respond to the
Department’s Q&V questionnaire and
consequently did not demonstrate their
eligibility for separate–rate status. As a
result, the Department is treating these
PRC producers/exporters as part of the
countrywide entity.
Additionally, because we have
determined that the companies named
above are part of the PRC–wide entity,
the PRC–wide entity is now under
review. Pursuant to section 776(a) of the
Act, we further find that because the
PRC–wide entity (including the
companies discussed above) failed to
respond to the Department’s
questionnaires, withheld or failed to
provide information in a timely manner
or in the form or manner requested by
the Department, submitted information
that cannot be verified, or otherwise
impeded the proceeding, it is
appropriate to apply a dumping margin
for the PRC–wide entity using the facts
otherwise available on the record.
Future Tool & Shandong Machinery
On March 1, 2007, we issued Q&V
Questionnaires along with separate–rate
applications and certifications to Future
Tool and Shandong Machinery, and
requested a response by March 15, 2007.
See Q&V Questionnaire. Neither Future
Tool nor Shandong Machinery provided
a response to our initial Q&V
Questionnaire. On May 1, 2007, we
issued a second Q&V Questionnaire to
Future Tool and Shandong Machinery.
See Second Q&V Questionnaire. Once
again, neither Future Tool nor
Shandong Machinery provided a
response to our second Q&V
Questionnaire. Moreover, Future Tool
and Shandong Machinery did not file a
separate–rate application/certification
and thus failed to establish their
eligibility for a separate rate. Therefore,
both Future Tool and Shandong
Machinery will be part of the PRC–wide
entity, subject to the PRC–wide rate.
This rate will be based on facts
available, as discussed below.
B. Adverse Facts Available (‘‘AFA’’)
The PRC–Wide Entity
The Department issued a letter to all
respondents identified in the Initiation
Notice informing them of the
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According to section 776(b) of the
Act, if the Department finds that an
interested party fails to cooperate by not
acting to the best of its ability to comply
with requests for information, the
Department may use an inference that is
adverse to the interests of that party in
selecting from the facts otherwise
available. See, e.g., Notice of Final
Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review: Stainless Steel
Bar from India, 70 FR 54023, 54025–26
(September 13, 2005); see also Notice of
Final Determination of Sales at Less
Than Fair Value and Final Negative
Critical Circumstances: Carbon and
Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod from
Brazil, 67 FR 55792, 55794–96 (August
30, 2002). Adverse inferences are
appropriate ‘‘to ensure that the party
does not obtain a more favorable result
by failing to cooperate than if it had
cooperated fully.’’ See SAA at 870.
Furthermore, ‘‘affirmative evidence of
bad faith on the part of a respondent is
not required before the Department may
make an adverse inference.’’ See
Antidumping Duties; Countervailing
Duties; Final Rule, 62 FR 27296, 27340
(May 19, 1997); see also Nippon Steel
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2217
Corp. v. United States, 337 F.3d 1373,
1382 (Fed. Cir. 2003) (‘‘Nippon’’).
Both Future Tool and Shandong
Machinery were notified in the
Department’s questionnaires that failure
to submit the requested information by
the date specified might result in the
use of facts available. Generally, it is
reasonable to assume that the PRC–wide
entity (including Shandong Machinery
and Future Tool) possessed the records
necessary for this administrative review
and that, by not supplying the
information the Department requested,
these companies failed to cooperate to
the best of their ability. In addition,
none of the companies in this review
argued that it was incapable of
providing the information the
Department requested, or requested that
the Department modify its reporting
requirements in accordance with
782(c)(1) of the Act. Accordingly,
because the PRC–wide entity (including
Future Tool and Shandong Machinery)
failed to respond to the Department’s
requests for information, we
preliminarily find that the PRC–wide
entity has not acted to the best of its
ability in this proceeding, within the
meaning of section 776(b) of the Act.
Therefore, an adverse inference is
warranted in selecting from the facts
otherwise available. See Nippon, 337
F.3d at 1382–83.
C. Selection of An AFA Rate
In deciding which facts to use as
AFA, section 776(b) of the Act and 19
CFR 351.308(c)(1) authorize the
Department to rely on information
derived from: 1) the petition; 2) a final
determination in the investigation; 3)
any previous review or determination;
or 4) any information placed on the
record. In reviews, the Department
normally selects as AFA the highest rate
determined for any respondent in any
segment of the proceeding. See, e.g.,
Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat from the
People’s Republic of China: Notice of
Final Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review, 68 FR 19504,
19508 (April 21, 2003). The Court of
International Trade (‘‘CIT’’) and the
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
(‘‘Federal Circuit’’) have consistently
upheld the Department’s practice. See
Rhone Poulenc, Inc. v. United States,
899 F.2d 1185, 1190 (Fed. Cir. 1990)
(‘‘Rhone Poulenc’’); NSK Ltd. v. United
States, 346 F. Supp. 2d 1312, 1335 (CIT
2004) (upholding a 73.55 percent total
AFA rate, the highest available dumping
margin from a different respondent in a
less–than-fair–value (‘‘LTFV’’)
investigation); Kompass Food Trading
Int’l v. United States, 24 CIT 678, 684
(2000) (upholding a 51.16 percent total
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AFA rate, the highest available dumping
margin from a different, fully
cooperative respondent); and Shanghai
Taoen International Trading Co., Ltd. v.
United States, 360 F. Supp. 2d 1339,
1348 (CIT 2005) (upholding a 223.01
percent total AFA rate, the highest
available dumping margin from a
different respondent in a previous
administrative review). The
Department’s practice, when selecting
an AFA rate from among the possible
sources of information, has been to
ensure that the margin is sufficiently
adverse ‘‘as to effectuate the statutory
purposes of the adverse facts available
rule to induce respondents to provide
the Department with complete and
accurate information in a timely
manner.’’ See, e.g., Notice of Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value: Static Random Access
Memory Semiconductors from Taiwan,
63 FR 8909, 8932 (February 23, 1998).
The Department’s practice also ensures
‘‘that the party does not obtain a more
favorable result by failing to cooperate
than if it had cooperated fully.’’ See
SAA at 870; see also Final
Determination of Sales at Less than Fair
Value: Certain Frozen and Canned
Warmwater Shrimp from Brazil, 69 FR
76910, 76912 (December 23, 2004); and
D&L Supply Co. v. United States, 113 F.
3d 1220, 1223 (Fed. Cir. 1997). In
choosing the appropriate balance
between providing respondents with an
incentive to respond accurately and
imposing a rate that is reasonably
related to the respondent’s prior
commercial activity, selecting the
highest prior margin ‘‘reflects a common
sense inference that the highest prior
margin is the most probative evidence of
current margins, because, if it were not
so, the importer, knowing of the rule,
would have produced current
information showing the margin to be
less.’’ See Rhone Poulenc, 899 F.2d at
1190. Consistent with the statute, court
precedent, and its normal practice, the
Department has assigned the rate of
383.60 percent to the PRC–wide entity
(including Future Tool and Shandong
Machinery) as AFA. This rate was
assigned in the investigation of this
proceeding and is the highest rate
determined for any party in any segment
of this proceeding. See Amended Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value: Hand Trucks and Certain
Parts Thereof From the People’s
Republic of China, 69 FR 65410
(November 12, 2004) (Hand Trucks
Amended Final Determination). As
discussed below, this rate has been
corroborated.
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D. Corroboration of Secondary
Information
Section 776(c) of the Act provides that
when the Department relies on the facts
otherwise available and on ‘‘secondary
information,’’ the Department shall, to
the extent practicable, corroborate that
information from independent sources
reasonably at the Department’s disposal.
The SAA states that ‘‘corroborate’’
means to determine that the information
used has probative value. See SAA at
870. The Department has determined
that to have probative value,
information must be reliable and
relevant. See SAA at 870; see also
Tapered Roller Bearings and Parts
Thereof, Finished and Unfinished, From
Japan, and Tapered Roller Bearings,
Four Inches or Less in Outside
Diameter, and Components Thereof,
From Japan; Preliminary Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Reviews and Partial Termination of
Administrative Reviews, 61 FR 57391,
57392 (November 6, 1996). The SAA
also states that independent sources
used to corroborate such evidence may
include, for example, published price
lists, official import statistics and
customs data, and information obtained
from interested parties during the
particular investigation. See SAA at 870.
See also Preliminary Determination of
Sales at Less Than Fair Value: High and
Ultra–High Voltage Ceramic Station
Post Insulators from Japan, 68 FR
35627, 35629 (June 16, 2003),
unchanged in Notice of Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value: High and Ultra–High
Voltage Ceramic Station Post Insulators
from Japan, 68 FR 62560, 62561 (Nov.
5, 2003); and Final Determination of
Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Live
Swine from Canada, 70 FR 12181,
12183–84 (March 11, 2005).
We are applying as AFA the highest
rate from any segment of this
administrative proceeding, which is the
rate currently applicable to all exporters
subject to the PRC–wide rate. The
information upon which the AFA rate is
based in the current review (i.e., the
PRC–wide rate of 383.60 percent) was
the highest rate calculated based on
information contained in the petition in
the LTFV investigation. See Hand
Trucks Amended Final Determination,
69 FR at 65411. This AFA rate is the
same rate that the Department assigned
to certain hand truck companies in the
original LTFV final determination. In
the investigation, the Department
determined the reliability of the margin
contained in the petition by comparing
the U.S. prices from the price quotes in
the petition to prices of comparable
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products sold by Huatian, a mandatory
respondent in the LTFV investigation,
and found them to be comparable. The
Department also compared the SVs used
in the petition to the SVs selected for
the final determination, and then
adjusted and replaced certain values to
make them more accurate. Finally, the
Department replaced the SV ratios in
the petition with those used in the final
investigation. Therefore, in the
investigation, we found this margin to
be reliable. See Notice of Preliminary
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value and Postponement of Final
Determination: Hand Trucks and
Certain Parts Thereof From the People’s
Republic of China, 69 FR 29509 (May
24, 2004), and Notice of Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value: Hand Trucks and Certain
Parts Thereof from the People’s
Republic of China, 69 FR 60980
(October 14, 2004), as amended by Hand
Trucks Amended Final Determination,
69 FR at 65411. Further, the application
of this margin was subject to comment
from interested parties in that segment
of the proceeding. The Department has
received no information to date that
warrants revisiting the issue of the
reliability of the rate and no party has
submitted comments challenging the
reliability of this margin. Thus, the
Department finds that the margin
calculated in the LTFV investigation is
reliable.
With respect to the relevance aspect
of corroboration, the Department will
consider information reasonably at its
disposal to determine whether a margin
continues to have relevance. Where
circumstances indicate that the selected
margin is not appropriate as AFA, the
Department will disregard the margin
and determine an appropriate margin.
For example, in Fresh Cut Flowers from
Mexico: Final Results of Antidumping
Administrative Review, 61 FR 6812
(February 22, 1996), the Department
disregarded the highest margin in that
case as adverse best information
available (the predecessor to facts
available) because the margin was based
on another company’s uncharacteristic
business expense resulting in an
unusually high margin. Similarly, the
Department does not apply a margin
that has been discredited. See D & L
Supply Co. v. United States, 113 F.3d
1220, 1222 (Fed. Cir. 1997) (the
Department will not use a margin that
has been judicially invalidated). None of
these unusual circumstances are present
here. Further, the selected margin is
currently the PRC–wide rate. As there is
no information on the record of this
review that indicates that this rate is not
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relevant as AFA for Future Tool and
Shandong Machinery and the PRC–wide
entity, we determine that this rate is
relevant.
Because the rate is both reliable and
relevant, it has probative value.
Accordingly, we determine that the
highest rate determined in any segment
of this administrative proceeding (i.e.,
383.60 percent) is corroborated (i.e., it
has probative value). We have assigned
this AFA rate to exports of the subject
merchandise by the PRC–wide entity,
including Future Tool and Shandong
Machinery.
Separate Rates
In proceedings involving NME
countries, the Department begins with a
rebuttable presumption that all
companies within the country are
subject to government control and, thus,
should be assigned a single
antidumping duty deposit rate. It is the
Department’s policy to assign all
exporters of merchandise subject to
review in an NME country this single
rate unless an exporter can demonstrate
that it is sufficiently independent so as
to be entitled to a separate rate. Taifa
has provided company–specific
information and has certified that it
meets the standards for the assignment
of a separate rate.
We have considered whether Taifa is
eligible for a separate rate. The
Department’s separate–rate test to
determine whether the exporters are
independent from government control
does not consider, in general,
macroeconomic/border–type controls,
e.g., export licenses, quotas, and
minimum export prices, particularly if
these controls are imposed to prevent
dumping. The test focuses, rather, on
controls over the investment, pricing,
and output decision–making process at
the individual firm level. See, e.g.,
Certain Cut–to-Length Carbon Steel
Plate from Ukraine: Final Determination
of Sales at Less than Fair Value, 62 FR
61754, 61758 (November 19, 1997); and
Tapered Roller Bearings and Parts
Thereof, Finished and Unfinished, from
the People’s Republic of China: Final
Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review, 62 FR 61276,
61279 (November 17, 1997).
To establish whether a firm is
sufficiently independent from
government control of its export
activities to be entitled to a separate
rate, the Department analyzes each
entity exporting the subject
merchandise under a test arising from
the Final Determination of Sales at Less
Than Fair Value: Sparklers from the
People’s Republic of China, 56 FR 20588
(May 6, 1991) (‘‘Sparklers’’), as further
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developed in Final Determination of
Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Silicon
Carbide from the People’s Republic of
China, 59 FR 22585 (May 2,1994)
(‘‘Silicon Carbide’’). In accordance with
the separate–rates criteria, the
Department assigns separate rates in
NME cases only if respondents can
demonstrate the absence of both de jure
and de facto government control over
export activities.
1. Absence of De Jure Control
The Department considers the
following de jure criteria in determining
whether an individual company may be
granted a separate rate: (1) an absence of
restrictive stipulations associated with
an individual exporter’s business and
export licenses; (2) any legislative
enactments decentralizing control of
companies; and (3) other formal
measures by the government
decentralizing control of companies. See
Sparklers, 56 FR at 20589.
On June 22, 2007, we received Taifa’s
separate–rate certification. Our analysis
shows that, for Taifa, the evidence on
the record supports a preliminary
finding of de jure absence of
government control based on record
statements and supporting
documentation showing the following:
1) an absence of restrictive stipulations
associated with the individual
exporter’s business and export licenses;
2) the applicable legislative enactments
decentralizing control of the companies;
and 3) any other formal measures by the
government decentralizing control of
companies. See Tafia’s Separate Rate
Certification Submission dated March
15, 2007.
2. Absence of De Facto Control
Through previous cases, the
Department has learned that certain
enactments of the PRC central
government have not been implemented
uniformly among different sectors and/
or jurisdictions in the PRC. See Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value: Certain Preserved
Mushrooms from the People’s Republic
of China, 63 FR 72255 (December 31,
1998). Therefore, the Department has
determined that an analysis of de facto
control is critical in determining
whether respondents are, in fact, subject
to a degree of government control which
would preclude the Department from
assigning separate rates. The
Department considers four factors in
evaluating whether each respondent is
subject to de facto government control
of its export functions: (1) whether the
exporter sets its own export prices
independent of the government and
without the approval of a government
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2219
authority; (2) whether the respondent
has the authority to negotiate and sign
contracts, and other agreements; (3)
whether the respondent has autonomy
from the government in making
decisions regarding the selection of its
management; and (4) whether the
respondent retains the proceeds of its
export sales and makes independent
decisions regarding disposition of
profits or financing of losses. See Silicon
Carbide, 59 FR at 22587; Sparklers, 56
FR at 20589.
We determine that, for Taifa, the
evidence on the record supports a
preliminary finding of de facto absence
of government control based on record
statements and supporting
documentation showing the following:
1) it sets its own export prices
independent of the government and
without the approval of a government
authority; 2) it retains the proceeds from
its sales and makes independent
decisions regarding disposition of
profits or financing of losses; 3) it has
the authority to negotiate and sign
contracts and other agreements; and 4)
it has autonomy from the government
regarding the selection of management.
See Tafia’s Separate Rate Certification
Submission, dated March 15, 2007.
On December 7, 2007, Petitioners put
on the record certain evidence that
Petitioners claimed demonstrated that
the PRC government owns a majority of
shares in Taifa and that Taifa is
therefore subject to government control
and ineligible for a separate rate. See
Handtrucks and Parts Thereof from the
People’s Republic of China: Comments
Regarding Taifa’s Questionnaire
Responses. In our separate–rate
analysis, however, government
ownership by itself is not dispositive in
determining government control. See
Silicon Carbide, 59 FR at 22586. As
described above, we analyze de jure and
de facto evidence to determine
government control. In their December
7, 2007, submission, Petitioners have
provided no other evidence regarding
the de jure and de facto factors in our
separate–rates test. Therefore, because
evidence placed on the record of this
administrative review by Taifa
demonstrates an absence of government
control, both in law and in fact, with
respect to Taifa’s exports of the subject
merchandise, in accordance with the
criteria identified in Sparklers and
Silicon Carbide, for the purposes of
these preliminary results, we have
granted a separate rate to Taifa.
Normal Value Comparisons
To determine whether sales of the
subject merchandise by Taifa to the
United States were made at prices below
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NV, we compared each company’s
export prices (EPs) to NV, as described
in the ‘‘Export Price’’ and ‘‘Normal
Value’’ sections of this notice, below.
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Export Price
For Taifa, we used EP methodology in
accordance with section 772(a) of the
Act for sales in which the subject
merchandise was first sold prior to
importation by the exporter outside the
United States directly to an unaffiliated
purchaser in the United States and for
sales in which constructed export price
was not otherwise indicated.
For Taifa, we calculated EP based on
delivered prices to unaffiliated
purchaser(s) in the United States. We
made deductions from the U.S. sales
price for movement expenses in
accordance with section 772(c)(2)(A) of
the Act. These included foreign inland
freight, foreign brokerage and handling
expenses, marine insurance. For a
detailed description of all adjustments,
see Memorandum to The File Through
Robert Bolling, Program Manager,
China/NME Group, from Paul Stolz,
Case Analyst, Analysis for the
Preliminary Results of Hand Trucks and
Certain Parts Thereof from the People’s
Republic of China: Qingdao Taifa Group
Co. Ltd. (‘‘Analysis Memo Taifa’’), dated
concurrently with this notice.
Normal Value
Section 773(c)(1) of the Act provides
that the Department shall determine NV
using an FOPs methodology if: (1) the
merchandise is exported from an NME
country; and (2) the information does
not permit the calculation of NV using
home market prices, third country
prices, or constructed value under
section 773(a) of the Act. When
determining NV in an NME context, the
Department will base NV on FOPs
because the presence of government
controls on various aspects of these
economies renders price comparisons
and the calculation of production costs
invalid under our normal
methodologies. Under section 773(c)(3)
of the Act, FOPs include but are not
limited to: (1) hours of labor required;
(2) quantities of raw materials
employed; (3) amounts of energy and
other utilities consumed; and (4)
representative capital costs. We used
FOPs reported by respondents for
materials, energy, labor and packing.
In accordance with 19 CFR
351.408(c)(1), the Department will
normally use publicly available
information to find an appropriate SV to
value FOPs, but when a producer
sources an input from a market
economy and pays for it in market–
economy currency, the Department will
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normally value the factor using the
actual price paid for the input. See 19
CFR 351.408(c)(1); see also Lasko Metal
Products, Inc. v. United States, 43 F.3d
1442, 1446 (Fed. Cir. 1994). However,
when the Department has reason to
believe or suspect that such prices may
be distorted by subsidies, the
Department will disregard the market
economy purchase prices and use SVs
to determine the NV. See Brake Rotors
From the People’s Republic of China:
Final Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative and New Shipper
Reviews and Partial Rescission of the
2005–2006 Administrative Review, 72
FR 42386 (August 2, 2007) (‘‘Brake
Rotors’’), and accompanying Issues and
Decision Memorandum at Comment 1.
It is the Department’s consistent
practice that, where the facts developed
in the United States or third country
countervailing duty findings include the
existence of subsidies that appear to be
used generally (in particular, broadly
available, non–industry-specific export
subsidies), it is reasonable for the
Department to find that it has particular
and objective evidence to support a
reason to believe or suspect that prices
of the inputs from the country granting
the subsidies may be subsidized. See
Brake Rotors and China National
Machinery Imp. & Exp. Corp. v. United
States, 293 F. Supp. 2d 1334, 1338–39
(CIT 2003).
In avoiding the use of prices that may
be subsidized, the Department does not
conduct a formal investigation to ensure
that such prices are not subsidized, but
rather relies on information that is
generally available at the time of its
determination. See H.R. Rep. 100–576,
at 590 (1988), reprinted in 1988
U.S.C.C.A.N. 1547, 1623–24. We have
reason to believe or suspect that prices
of inputs from Indonesia, South Korea,
and Thailand may have been
subsidized. Through other proceedings,
the Department has learned that these
countries maintain broadly available,
non–industry-specific export subsidies
and, therefore, finds it reasonable to
infer that all exports to all markets from
these countries may be subsidized. See
Brake Rotors. Accordingly, we have
disregarded prices from Indonesia,
South Korea and Thailand in calculating
the Indian import–based SVs because
we have reason to believe or suspect
such prices may be subsidized.
Factor Valuations
In accordance with section 773(c) of
the Act, we calculated NV based on
FOPs reported by respondents for the
POR. To calculate NV, we multiplied
the reported per unit factor
consumption quantities by publicly
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available Indian SVs (except as noted
below). In selecting the SVs, we
considered the quality, specificity, and
contemporaneity of the data. As
appropriate, we adjusted input prices by
including freight costs to make them
delivered prices. Specifically, we added
to Indian import SVs a surrogate freight
cost using the shorter of the reported
distance from the domestic supplier to
the factory or the distance from the
nearest seaport to the factory where
appropriate (i.e., where the sales terms
for the market–economy inputs were not
delivered to the factory). This
adjustment is in accordance with the
decision of the Federal Circuit in Sigma
Corp. v. United States, 117 F.3d 1401,
1407–08 (Fed. Cir. 1997). Due to the
extensive number of SVs it was
necessary to assign in this
administrative review, we present a
discussion of the main factors. For a
detailed description of all SVs used to
value the respondent’s reported FOPs,
see Factor Valuation Memorandum.
During the POR, Taifa purchased all
or a portion of certain inputs from a
market economy supplier and paid for
the inputs in a market economy
currency. The Department has instituted
a rebuttable presumption that market
economy input prices are the best
available information for valuing an
input when the total volume of the
input purchased from all market
economy sources during the period of
investigation or review exceeds 33
percent of the total volume of the input
purchased from all sources during the
period. In these cases, unless case–
specific facts provide adequate grounds
to rebut the Department’s presumption,
the Department will use the weighted–
average market economy purchase price
to value the input. Alternatively, when
the volume of an NME firm’s purchases
of an input from market economy
suppliers during the period is below 33
percent of its total volume of purchases
of the input during the period, but
where these purchases are otherwise
valid and there is no reason to disregard
the prices, the Department will weight–
average the weighted–average market
economy purchase price with an
appropriate SV according to their
respective shares of the total volume of
purchases, unless case–specific facts
provide adequate grounds to rebut the
presumption. When a firm has made
market economy input purchases that
may have been dumped or subsidized,
are not bona fide, or are otherwise not
acceptable for use in a dumping
calculation, the Department will
exclude them from the numerator of the
ratio to ensure a fair determination of
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whether valid market economy
purchases meet the 33–percent
threshold. See Antidumping
Methodologies: Market Economy Inputs,
Expected Non–Market Economy Wages,
Duty Drawback; and Request for
Comments, 71 FR 61716, 61717–18
(October 19, 2006). Accordingly, we
valued Taifa’s inputs using the market
economy prices paid for the inputs
where the total volume of the input
purchased from all market economy
sources during the POR exceeded 33
percent of the total volume of the input
purchased from all sources during that
period. Alternatively, when the volume
of Taifa’s purchases of an input from
market economy suppliers during the
POR was below 33 percent of the
company’s total volume of purchases of
the input during the POR, we weight–
averaged the weighted–average market
economy purchase price with an
appropriate surrogate value according to
their respective shares of the total
volume of purchases, as appropriate.
Where appropriate, we increased the
market economy prices of inputs by
freight and brokerage and handling
expenses. See Taifa’s Factor Value
Memorandum. For a detailed
description of all actual values used for
market–economy inputs, see the
Analysis Memo Taifa. Where the
quantity of the input purchased from
market–economy suppliers is
insignificant, the Department will not
rely on the price paid by an NME
producer to a market–economy supplier
because it cannot have confidence that
a company could fulfill all its needs at
that price.
We used contemporaneous import
data from the World Trade Atlas online
(‘‘Indian Import Statistics’’), published
by the Directorate General of
Commercial Intelligence and Statistics,
Ministry of Commerce of India, to
calculate SVs for the reported FOPs
purchased from NME sources. Where
data appeared to be aberrational within
selected HTS values, we removed the
aberrational data from the calculation of
these selected HTS values. Among the
FOPs for which we calculated SVs using
Indian Import Statistics are brightening
agents, carbon dioxide, cast aluminum,
dye, epoxy resin, hot–rolled steel plate,
nitric acid, phosphoric acid, steel rod,
zinc ingots, and zinc powder. For a
complete listing of all the inputs and the
valuation for each mandatory
respondent see the Factor Valuation
Memorandum.
Where we could not obtain publicly
available information contemporaneous
with the POR with which to value FOPs,
we adjusted the SVs using, where
appropriate, the Indian Wholesale Price
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Index (‘‘WP’’) as published in the
International Financial Statistics of the
International Monetary Fund. See Factor
Valuation Memorandum; see also
Tapered Roller Bearings and Parts
Thereof, Finished and Unfinished, from
the People’s Republic of China: Final
Results of 2003–2004 Administrative
Review and Partial Rescission of
Review, 71 FR 2517, 2522 (January 17,
2006).
For direct labor, indirect labor, and
packing labor, consistent with 19 CFR
351.408(c)(3), we used the PRC
regression–based wage rate as reported
on Import Administration’s website,
Import Library, Expected Wages of
Selected NME Countries, revised in
January 2007, https://ia.ita.doc.gov/
wages/04wages/04wages–010907.html.
The source of these wage–rate data is
the Yearbook of Labour Statistics 2006,
ILO (Geneva: 2006), Chapter 5B: Wages
in Manufacturing. The years of the
reported wage rates range from 2004 and
2005. Because this regression–based
wage rate does not separate the labor
rates into different skill levels or types
of labor, we have applied the same wage
rate to all skill levels and types of labor
reported by the respondent. See Factor
Valuation Memorandum.
To value electricity, we used data
from the International Energy Agency
(‘‘IEA’’) Key World Energy Statistics
(2003 edition). Because the value for
electricity was not contemporaneous
with the POR, we adjusted it for
inflation. See Factor Valuation
Memorandum.
To calculate the value for domestic
brokerage and handling, the Department
used information available to it
contained in the public version of two
questionnaire responses placed on the
record of separate proceedings. The first
source was December 2003–November
2004 data contained in the public
version of Essar Steel’s February 28,
2005, questionnaire submitted in the
antidumping duty administrative review
of hot–rolled carbon steel flat products
from India. See Certain Hot–Rolled
Carbon Steel Flat Products from India:
Notice of Preliminary Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 71 FR 2018 (January 12,
2006)(unchanged in final results). This
value was averaged with the February
2004–January 2005 data contained in
the public version of Agro Dutch
Industries Limited’s (‘‘Agro Dutch’’)
May 24, 2005, questionnaire response
submitted in the administrative review
of the antidumping duty order on
certain preserved mushrooms from
India. See Certain Preserved Mushrooms
From India: Final Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
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2221
Review, 70 FR 37757 (June 30, 2005)
(Agro Dutch’s May 24, 2005,
submission). The brokerage expense
data reported by Essar Steel and Agro
Dutch in their public versions are
ranged data. The Department derived an
average per–unit amount from each
source and then adjusted each average
rate for inflation using the WPI. The
Department then averaged the two per–
unit amounts to derive an overall
average rate for the POR. See Factor
Valuation Memorandum.
To value international freight, the
Department obtained generally publicly
available price quotes from Maersk
Sealand at https://
www.maersksealand.com/HomePage/
appmanager/, a market–economy
provider of international freight
services. See Factor Valuation
Memorandum.
The Department valued steam coal
using the 2003/2004 Tata Energy
Research Institute’s Energy Data
Directory & Yearbook (‘‘TERI Data’’).
The Department was able to determine,
through its examination of the 2003/
2004 TERI Data, that: a) the annual TERI
Data publication is complete and
comprehensive because it covers all
sales of all types of coal made by Coal
India Limited and its subsidiaries, and
b) the annual TERI Data publication
prices are exclusive of duties and taxes.
Because the value was not
contemporaneous with the POR, the
Department adjusted the rate for
inflation. See Factor Valuation
Memorandum.
We used Indian transport information
in order to value the freight–in cost of
the raw materials. The Department
determined the best available
information for valuing truck and rail
freight to be from www.infreight.com.
This source provides daily rates from
six major points of origin to five
destinations in India during the POR.
The Department obtained a price quote
on the first day of each month of the
POR from each point of origin to each
destination and averaged the data
accordingly. See Factor Valuation
Memorandum.
To value factory overhead, selling,
general, and administrative expenses
(‘‘SG&A’’), and profit, we used the
audited financial statements for the
fiscal year ending March 31, 2005, from
the following producer: Rexello Castors
Pvt. Ltd., which is an Indian producer
of comparable merchandise. From this
information, we were able to determine
factory overhead as a percentage of the
total raw materials, labor and energy
(‘‘ML&E’’) costs; SG&A as a percentage
of ML&E plus overhead (i.e., cost of
manufacture); and the profit rate as a
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percentage of the cost of manufacture
plus SG&A. For further discussion, see
Factor Valuation Memorandum.
We valued diesel oil using data
obtained from the IEA Key World Energy
Statistics 2007, for the first quarter of
2007. Because these data were after the
POR, we applied a WPI deflator to make
them contemporaneous with the POR.
See Factor Valuation Memorandum.
Finally, Taifa reported that it
generated certain other by–products as a
result of the production of hand trucks.
We valued aluminum and steel scrap
using Indian import statistics as
published by the WTA,
contemporaneous with the POR. We
valued aluminum scrap and recycled
paint powder using Indian import
statistics as published by the WTA,
contemporaneous with the POR.
Department will issue the final results
of this administrative review, which
will include the results of its analysis of
issues raised in any comments, and at
a hearing, within 120 days of
publication of these preliminary results,
pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the
Act.
Assessment Rates
The Department shall determine, and
CBP shall assess, antidumping duties on
all appropriate entries. The Department
intends to issue assessment instructions
to CBP 15 days after the date of
publication of the final results of
review. Pursuant to 19 CFR
351.212(b)(1), we will calculate
importer- or customer–specific ad
valorem duty assessment rates based on
the ratio of the total amount of the
dumping margins calculated for the
Preliminary Results of Review
examined sales to the total entered
We preliminarily determine that the
value of those same sales. To determine
following margins exist during the
whether the duty assessment rates are
period December 1, 2005, through
de minimis (i.e., less than 0.50 percent),
November 30, 2006:
in accordance with the requirement set
forth in 19 CFR 351.106(c)(2), we will
HAND TRUCKS AND PARTS THEREOF
calculate customer–specific ad valorem
FROM THE PRC
ratios based on export prices.
We will instruct CBP to assess
Weighted–Average antidumping duties on all appropriate
Exporter
Margin (Percent)
entries covered by this review if any
importer- or customer–specific
Qingdao Taifa Group
Co. Ltd. .....................
3.82 assessment rate calculated in the final
PRC–Wide Rate2 ..........
383.60 results of this review is above de
minimis.
2 We note that because both Future Tool
For entries of the subject merchandise
and Shandong Machinery are part of the PRCduring the POR from companies not
wide entity, they are subject to the PRC-wide
subject to this review, we will instruct
rate.
CBP to liquidate them at the cash
Disclosure
deposit rate in effect at the time of entry.
The Department will disclose
The final results of this review shall be
calculations performed for these
the basis for the assessment of
preliminary results to the parties within antidumping duties on entries of
five days of the date of publication of
merchandise covered by the final results
this notice in accordance with 19 CFR
of this review and for future deposits of
351.224(b). Any interested party may
estimated duties, where applicable.
request a hearing within 30 days of
publication of these preliminary results. Cash Deposit Requirements
The following cash deposit
See 19 CFR 351.310(c). Any hearing, if
requirements will be effective upon
requested, will generally be held two
publication of the final results of this
days after the scheduled date for
administrative review for shipments of
submission of rebuttal briefs. See 19
the subject merchandise from the PRC
CFR 351.310(d). Interested parties may
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse,
submit case briefs and/or written
comments no later than 30 days after the for consumption on or after the
date of publication of these preliminary publication date, as provided by
results of review. See 19 CFR
sections 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) for
351.309(c)(ii). Rebuttal briefs and
Taifa, which has a separate rate, the
rebuttals to written comments, limited
cash deposit rate will be that established
to issues raised in such briefs or
in the final results of this review
comments, may be filed no later than
(except, if the rate is zero or de minimis,
five days after the time limit for filing
zero cash deposit will be required); (2)
the case briefs. See 19 CFR 351.309(d).
for previously investigated or reviewed
Further, we request that parties
PRC and non–PRC exporters not listed
submitting written comments provide
above that received a separate rate in a
the Department with an additional copy prior segment of this proceeding (which
of those comments on diskette. The
were not reviewed in this segment of the
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:33 Jan 11, 2008
Jkt 214001
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
proceeding), the cash deposit rate will
continue to be the exporter–specific
rate; (3) for all PRC exporters of subject
merchandise that have not been found
to be entitled to a separate rate, the cash
deposit rate will be the PRC–wide rate
of 383.60 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 exporter that
supplied that non–PRC exporter. These
deposit requirements, when imposed,
shall remain in effect until further
notice.
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 prior to liquidation
of the relevant entries during this
review period. Failure to comply with
this requirement could result in the
Secretary’s presumption that
reimbursement of antidumping duties
occurred and the subsequent assessment
of double antidumping duties.
This administrative review and notice
are in accordance with sections
751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act and 19
CFR 351.213.
Dated: December 31, 2007.
Susan H. Kuhbach,
Acting Assistant Secretaryfor Import
Administration.
[FR Doc. E8–456 Filed 1–11–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–201–822]
Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils
from Mexico: Second Extension of
Time Limit for Final Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 14, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maryanne Burke or Robert James, AD/
CVD Operations, Office 7, Import
Administration, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230;
telephone: (202) 482–5604 or (202) 482–
0649, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August
6, 2007, the Department of Commerce
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\14JAN1.SGM
14JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 9 (Monday, January 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2214-2222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-456]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-570-891]
Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from the People's Republic
of China; Preliminary Results, Partial Intent to Rescind and Partial
Rescission of the 2005-06 Administrative Review
AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: In response to requests from interested parties, the
Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is conducting an
administrative review of the antidumping duty order on hand trucks and
certain parts thereof (``hand trucks'') from the People's Republic of
China (``PRC'') covering the period December 1, 2005, through November
30, 2006. We have preliminarily determined that sales have been made
below normal value (``NV'') by one exporter participating in the
review. We have also preliminarily rescinded the review for five
exporters that did not have any exports during the period of review
(``POR'') or whose request for review was timely withdrawn. We have
also preliminarily determined that two companies have not demonstrated
that they are entitled to separate rates and have assigned them the
rate for the PRC-wide entity. If these preliminary results are adopted
in the final results of these reviews, we will instruct U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (``CBP'') to assess antidumping duties on all
appropriate entries.
Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary
results. We will issue the final results no later than 120 days from
the date of publication of this notice.
EFFECTIVE DATE: (January 14, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Stolz, AD/CVD Operations, Office
8, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-4474.
Background
On December 1, 2006, the Department published a notice of
opportunity to request an administrative review of the antidumping duty
order on hand trucks from the PRC. See Antidumping or Countervailing
Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Opportunity To Request
Administrative Review, 71 FR 69543 (December 1, 2006). In accordance
with 19 CFR 351.213(b)(1), on December 29, 2006, Petitioners, Gleason
Industrial Products, Inc. and Precision Products, Inc., requested that
the Department conduct an administrative review for the following
exporters of the subject merchandise: Qingdao Huatian Hand Truck Co.,
Ltd. (``Huatian''); Qingdao Future Tool, Inc. (``Future Tool'');
Qingdao Taifa Group Co. Ltd. (``Taifa''); True Potential Co., Ltd.
(``True Potential''); Shandong Machinery I&E Group Corp. (``Shandong
Machinery''); Since Hardware (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. (``Since
Hardware''); Formost Plastics & Metalworks (Jiazing) Co., Ltd.
(``Formost''); and Forecarry Corp (``Forecarry''). Also, on December
29, 2006, the Department received a request to conduct an
administrative review from Taifa, an exporter of the subject
merchandise.
On January 3, 2007, the Department received a request to conduct an
administrative review from Since Hardware, an exporter of subject
merchandise from the PRC. On February 2, 2007, the Department published
in the Federal Register a notice of the initiation of the antidumping
duty administrative review of hand trucks from the PRC for the period
December 1, 2005, through November 30, 2006, with respect to eight
companies. See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Administrative Reviews and Request for Revocation in Part, 72 FR 5005
(February 2, 2007).
On March 1, 2007, the Department issued quantity and value
(``Q&V'') questionnaires along with separate rate applications and
certifications to Forecarry, Formost, Future Tool, Huatian, Shandong
Machinery, Since Hardware, True Potential, and Taifa requesting each
party's quantity (i.e., pieces) and U.S. dollar sales value of all
exports of hand trucks and parts thereof to the United States during
the POR. See Quantity and Value Questionnaire (``Q&V Questionnaire'')
dated March 1, 2007. In our Q&V questionnaire, we notified all
interested parties that we were considering limiting the number of
respondents selected for review in accordance with section 777A(c)(2)
of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``Act''), due to the number of
firms requested for this administrative review and the resulting
administrative burden to review each company for which a request had
been made. On March 15, 2007, we received responses to the Q&V
questionnaire from Huatian, Since Hardware (stating it had no shipments
during the POR), Taifa and True Potential. On May 1 and 25, 2007, we
issued letters to Formost, Forecarry, Future Tool, and Shandong
Machinery providing each a second opportunity to respond to the
Department's request for Q&V information. See Second Quantity and Value
Questionnaire dated May 1, 2007 (``Second Q&V Questionnaire''). On June
4, 2007, Formost and Forecarry responded to the Department's request
for Q&V information stating that they had no exports to the United
States during the POR. Future Tool and Shandong Machinery did not
respond to the Department's letters. See the ``Facts Available''
section of this notice, below, for further discussion.
On March 15, 2007, Since Hardware withdrew its request for an
administrative review within the time limits specified under 19 CFR
351.213(d)(1). See the ``Partial Rescission of Administrative Review''
section of this notice, below, for further discussion. On May 3, 2007,
Petitioners withdrew their request for an administrative review within
the time limits specified under 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1) with respect to
Huatian, Taifa, and True Potential.
On June 21, 2007, the Department determined that it was not
practicable to examine individually all of the companies covered by the
2005-2006 administrative review, and thus it limited its examination to
the largest producers/exporters that could reasonably be reviewed,
pursuant to section 777A(c)(2)(B) of the Act. Therefore, on this date
the Department selected Taifa as the sole respondent required to submit
a full questionnaire response in the administrative review (i.e.,
mandatory respondent). See the memorandum titled ``Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review of Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from the
People's Republic of China: Selection of Respondents'' dated June 21,
2007.
On June 22, 2007, we issued the antidumping duty questionnaire to
Taifa. We received separate-rate certifications from Taifa and True
Potential. On July 13, 2007, we received Taifa's responses to section A
of the Department's original questionnaire. On August 14, 2007, we
received Taifa's response to sections C and D of the Department's
original questionnaire. On
[[Page 2215]]
September 4, 2007, we issued a supplemental questionnaire regarding
section A to Taifa. On September 11, 2007, we received Taifa's response
to our supplemental section A. On September 14, 2007, we issued a
supplemental questionnaire regarding sections C and D to Taifa. On
October 11, 2007, we received Taifa's response to sections C and D of
the Department's supplemental questionnaire. On November 26, 2007, we
issued a second supplemental questionnaire regarding sections A, C, and
D to Taifa. On November 28, 2007, we issued a third supplemental to
Taifia regarding sections C and D. On December 7, 2007, we received a
response from Taifa to the November 26, 2007, supplemental
questionnaire. On December 10, 2007, we received a response from Taifa
to the November 28, 2007, supplemental questionnaire. On December 14,
2007, we issued a fourth supplemental to Taifia regarding section C.
On October 4, 2007, the Department invited interested parties to
comment on surrogate country selection and to provide publicly
available information for valuing the factors of production (``FOPs'').
On October 31, 2007, Petitioners provided comments on surrogate country
selection.
On August 31, 2007, the Department issued a Federal Register notice
extending the time limits for the preliminary results of administrative
review until no later than December 3, 2007. See Hand Trucks and
Certain Parts Thereof From the People's Republic of China; Extension of
Time Limits for Preliminary Results in Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 72 FR 51411 (September 7, 2007). Additionally, on November 23,
2007, the Department issued a Federal Register notice fully extending
the time limits for the preliminary results of administrative review
until no later than December 31, 2007. See Hand Trucks and Certain
Parts Thereof From the People's Republic of China; Full Extension of
Time Limits for Preliminary Results in Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 72 FR 67701 (November 30, 2007).
Period of Review
The POR covers December 1, 2005, through November 30, 2006.
Scope of Order
The product covered by this order consists of hand trucks
manufactured from any material, whether assembled or unassembled,
complete or incomplete, suitable for any use, and certain parts
thereof, namely the vertical frame, the handling area and the
projecting edges or toe plate, and any combination thereof.
A complete or fully assembled hand truck is a hand-propelled barrow
consisting of a vertically disposed frame having a handle or more than
one handle at or near the upper section of the vertical frame; at least
two wheels at or near the lower section of the vertical frame; and a
horizontal projecting edge or edges, or toe plate, perpendicular or
angled to the vertical frame, at or near the lower section of the
vertical frame. The projecting edge or edges, or toe plate, slides
under a load for purposes of lifting and/or moving the load.
That the vertical frame can be converted from a vertical setting to
a horizontal setting, then operated in that horizontal setting as a
platform, is not a basis for exclusion of the hand truck from the scope
of this petition. That the vertical frame, handling area, wheels,
projecting edges or other parts of the hand truck can be collapsed or
folded is not a basis for exclusion of the hand truck from the scope of
the petition. That other wheels may be connected to the vertical frame,
handling area, projecting edges, or other parts of the hand truck, in
addition to the two or more wheels located at or near the lower section
of the vertical frame, is not a basis for exclusion of the hand truck
from the scope of the petition. Finally, that the hand truck may
exhibit physical characteristics in addition to the vertical frame, the
handling area, the projecting edges or toe plate, and the two wheels at
or near the lower section of the vertical frame, is not a basis for
exclusion of the hand truck from the scope of the petition.
Examples of names commonly used to reference hand trucks are hand
truck, convertible hand truck, appliance hand truck, cylinder hand
truck, bag truck, dolly, or hand trolley. They are typically imported
under heading 8716.80.50.10 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (``HTSUS''), although they may also be imported under
heading 8716.80.50.90. Specific parts of a hand truck, namely the
vertical frame, the handling area and the projecting edges or toe
plate, or any combination thereof, are typically imported under heading
8716.90.50.60 of the HTSUS. Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided
for convenience and customs purposes, the Department's written
description of the scope is dispositive.
Excluded from the scope are small two-wheel or four-wheel utility
carts specifically designed for carrying loads like personal bags or
luggage in which the frame is made from telescoping tubular material
measuring less than 5/8 inch in diameter; hand trucks that use
motorized operations either to move the hand truck from one location to
the next or to assist in the lifting of items placed on the hand truck;
vertical carriers designed specifically to transport golf bags; and
wheels and tires used in the manufacture of hand trucks.
Partial Rescission of Administrative Review
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), the Secretary must rescind an
administrative review if a party requesting a review withdraws the
request within 90 days of the date of publication of the notice of
initiation. As noted above, on March 15, 2007, Since Hardware timely
withdrew its request for an administrative review. However, because
Petitioners did not withdraw their review request with respect to Since
Hardware, we are not rescinding the review for Since Hardware based on
its withdrawal of its request for review. Also, on May 3, 2007,
Petitioners withdrew their request for an administrative review with
respect to Huatian, Taifa, and True Potential, in accordance with 19
CFR 351.213(d)(1). Because no other interested party requested a review
of Huatian or True Potential, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1)
and consistent with our practice, we are rescinding the administrative
review of these companies for the POR.
Partial Intent to Rescind Administrative Review
On March 15, 2007, Since Hardware responded to the Department's Q&V
questionnaire stating it had no POR shipments to the United States. On
June 27, 2007, Petitioners submitted comments arguing that Since
Hardware incorrectly stated that it exported no subject merchandise to
the United States during the POR. Petitioners based their argument on
the Department's new shipper verification report of Since Hardware from
the 2004-2005 new shipper review. See Letter from Petitioners; Hand
Trucks and Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Selection
of Respondents, dated June 27, 2007, at Exhibit 2, ``Verification of
Sales and Factors Responses of Since Hardware (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. in
the New Shipper Review of Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from
the People's Republic of China'' (``NSR Verification Report'') (October
5, 2006). Citing the NSR Verification Report, Petitioners contend that
at verification in the 2004-2005 review, the Department compared a
post-POR sale to Since Hardware's NSR sale. See NSR Verification Report
at page 4. We examined the NSR Verification Report
[[Page 2216]]
that refers to a production order but does not refer to an actual sale.
Petitioners have not put forth any other evidence of a shipment by
Since Hardware during the POR.
Further, record evidence indicates that Formost, Forecarry, and
Since Hardware did not have any exports of subject merchandise during
the POR. See March 15, 2007, Q&V response from Since Hardware and June
4, 2007, Q&V response from Formost and Forecarry. Additionally, we have
reviewed the CBP entry data for the POR and found no evidence of
exports from these three entities. See Memorandum to the File from
Robert Bolling, Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from the People's
Republic of China, No Shipment Inquiry, dated November 26, 2007, and
Memorandum to the File from Robert Bolling, Hand Trucks and Certain
Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China, No Shipment Inquiry,
dated December 13, 2007. We have received no evidence that Formost,
Forecarry, or Since Hardware had any shipments to the United States of
subject merchandise during the POR. Therefore, pursuant to 19 CFR
351.213(d)(3), the Department preliminarily rescinds this review as to
Formost, Forecarry, and Since Hardware.
Non-Market Economy Country Status
In every case conducted by the Department involving the PRC, the
PRC has been treated as a non-market economy (``NME'') country.
Pursuant to section 771(18)(C)(i) of the Act, any determination that a
foreign country is an NME country shall remain in effect until revoked
by the administering authority. See, e.g., Fresh Garlic from the
People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review and Rescission in Part, 69 FR 70638 (Dec. 7,
2004). None of the parties to this proceeding has contested such
treatment. Accordingly, we calculated NV in accordance with section
773(c) of the Act, which applies to NME countries.
Surrogate Country
When the Department is investigating imports from an NME country,
section 773(c)(1) of the Act directs it to base NV on the NME
producer's FOPs. The Act further instructs that valuation of the FOPs
shall be based on the best available information in a surrogate market
economy country or countries considered to be appropriate by the
Department. See Section 773(c)(1) of the Act. When valuing the FOPs,
the Department shall utilize, to the extent possible, the prices or
costs of FOPs in one or more market economy countries that are: (1) at
a level of economic development comparable to that of the NME country;
and (2) significant producers of comparable merchandise. See Section
773(c)(1) of the Act. The sources of the surrogate values (``SV'') are
discussed under the Normal Value section below and in the Memorandum to
the File, Factors Valuations for the Preliminary Results of the
Administrative Review, dated December 31, 2007 (``Factor Valuation
Memorandum''), which is on file in the Central Records Unit (``CRU''),
Room B-099 of the main Commerce Building.
The Department first determined that India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
the Philippines, and Egypt are countries comparable to the PRC in terms
of economic development. See Memorandum to the File, Administrative
Review of Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from the People's
Republic of China (PRC): Request for a List of Surrogate Countries,
dated October 3, 2007, (``Policy Memo'') which is on file in the CRU.
On October 4, 2007, the Department issued a request for parties to
submit comments on surrogate country selection. On October 31, 2007,
Petitioners submitted comments regarding the selection of a surrogate
country.\1\ No other party to the proceeding submitted information or
comments concerning the selection of a surrogate country. Petitioners
assert that India is the appropriate surrogate country for the PRC
because India meets the statutory criteria set forth in section
773(c)(4) of the Act for selection as a surrogate country for the PRC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Letter dated October 31, 2007, from Petitioners to Secretary
of Commerce, re: Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from the
People's Republic of China.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On December 10, 2007, the Department issued its surrogate country
memorandum in which we addressed the parties' comments. See Memorandum
to the File, Antidumping Duty Administrative Review of Hand Trucks and
Certain Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Selection of
a Surrogate Country, dated December 10, 2007 (``Surrogate Country
Memorandum''), which is on file in the CRU. After evaluating concerns
and comments, the Department determined that India is the appropriate
surrogate country to use in this review. The Department based its
decision on the following facts: 1) India is at a level of economic
development comparable to that of the PRC; 2) India is a significant
producer of comparable merchandise; and 3) India provides the best
opportunity to use quality, publicly available data to value the FOPs.
See Surrogate Country Memorandum.
Therefore, we have selected India as the surrogate country and,
accordingly, have calculated NV using Indian prices to value the
respondents' FOPs, when available and appropriate. We have obtained and
relied upon publicly available information wherever possible. See
Factor Valuation Memorandum. In accordance with 19 CFR
351.301(c)(3)(ii), interested parties may submit publicly available
information to value FOPs until 20 days after the date of publication
of these preliminary results.
Facts Available
A. Application of Facts Available
Section 776(a)(1) and (2) of the Act provides that the Department
shall apply ``facts otherwise available'' if, inter alia, necessary
information is not on the record or an interested party or any other
person (A) withholds information that has been requested, (B) fails to
provide information within the deadlines established, or in the form
and manner requested by the Department, subject to subsections (c)(1)
and (e) of section 782, (C) significantly impedes a proceeding, or (D)
provides information that cannot be verified as provided by section
782(i) of the Act.
Where the Department determines that a response to a request for
information does not comply with the request, section 782(d) of the Act
provides that the Department will so inform the party submitting the
response and will, to the extent practicable, provide that party the
opportunity to remedy or explain the deficiency. If the party fails to
remedy the deficiency within the applicable time limits and subject to
section 782(e) of the Act, the Department may disregard all or part of
the original and subsequent responses, as appropriate. Section 782(e)
of the Act provides that the Department ``shall not decline to consider
information that is submitted by an interested party and is necessary
to the determination but does not meet all applicable requirements
established by the administering authority'' if the information is
timely, can be verified, is not so incomplete that it cannot be used,
and if the interested party acted to the best of its ability in
providing the information. Where all of these conditions are met, the
statute requires the Department to use the information supplied if it
can do so without undue difficulties.
[[Page 2217]]
Section 776(b) of the Act further provides that the Department may
use an adverse inference in applying the facts otherwise available when
a party has failed to cooperate by not acting to the best of its
ability to comply with a request for information. Such an adverse
inference may include reliance on information derived from the
petition, the final determination, a previous administrative review, or
other information placed on the record.
Section 776(c) of the Act provides that, when the Department relies
on secondary information rather than on information obtained in the
course of an investigation or review, it shall, to the extent
practicable, corroborate that information from independent sources that
are reasonably at its disposal. Secondary information is defined as
``[lsqb]i[rsqb]nformation derived from the petition that gave rise to
the investigation or review, the final determination concerning the
subject merchandise, or any previous review under section 751
concerning the subject merchandise.'' See Statement of Administrative
Action, H.R. Doc. 103-316 at 870 (1994) (``SAA''). Corroborate means
that the Department will satisfy itself that the secondary information
to be used has probative value. Id. To corroborate secondary
information, the Department will, to the extent practicable, examine
the reliability and relevance of the information to be used.
Future Tool & Shandong Machinery
On March 1, 2007, we issued Q&V Questionnaires along with separate-
rate applications and certifications to Future Tool and Shandong
Machinery, and requested a response by March 15, 2007. See Q&V
Questionnaire. Neither Future Tool nor Shandong Machinery provided a
response to our initial Q&V Questionnaire. On May 1, 2007, we issued a
second Q&V Questionnaire to Future Tool and Shandong Machinery. See
Second Q&V Questionnaire. Once again, neither Future Tool nor Shandong
Machinery provided a response to our second Q&V Questionnaire.
Moreover, Future Tool and Shandong Machinery did not file a separate-
rate application/certification and thus failed to establish their
eligibility for a separate rate. Therefore, both Future Tool and
Shandong Machinery will be part of the PRC-wide entity, subject to the
PRC-wide rate. This rate will be based on facts available, as discussed
below.
The PRC-Wide Entity
The Department issued a letter to all respondents identified in the
Initiation Notice informing them of the requirements to respond to both
the Department's Q&V questionnaire and either the separate-rate
application or certification, as appropriate. Both Future Tool and
Shandong Machinery failed to respond to the Q&V Questionnaire and the
separate-rate application/certification. Therefore, the Department
determines preliminarily that there were exports of merchandise under
review from PRC producers/exporters that did not respond to the
Department's Q&V questionnaire and consequently did not demonstrate
their eligibility for separate-rate status. As a result, the Department
is treating these PRC producers/exporters as part of the countrywide
entity.
Additionally, because we have determined that the companies named
above are part of the PRC-wide entity, the PRC-wide entity is now under
review. Pursuant to section 776(a) of the Act, we further find that
because the PRC-wide entity (including the companies discussed above)
failed to respond to the Department's questionnaires, withheld or
failed to provide information in a timely manner or in the form or
manner requested by the Department, submitted information that cannot
be verified, or otherwise impeded the proceeding, it is appropriate to
apply a dumping margin for the PRC-wide entity using the facts
otherwise available on the record.
B. Adverse Facts Available (``AFA'')
According to section 776(b) of the Act, if the Department finds
that an interested party fails to cooperate by not acting to the best
of its ability to comply with requests for information, the Department
may use an inference that is adverse to the interests of that party in
selecting from the facts otherwise available. See, e.g., Notice of
Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review: Stainless
Steel Bar from India, 70 FR 54023, 54025-26 (September 13, 2005); see
also Notice of Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and
Final Negative Critical Circumstances: Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel
Wire Rod from Brazil, 67 FR 55792, 55794-96 (August 30, 2002). Adverse
inferences are appropriate ``to ensure that the party does not obtain a
more favorable result by failing to cooperate than if it had cooperated
fully.'' See SAA at 870. Furthermore, ``affirmative evidence of bad
faith on the part of a respondent is not required before the Department
may make an adverse inference.'' See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing
Duties; Final Rule, 62 FR 27296, 27340 (May 19, 1997); see also Nippon
Steel Corp. v. United States, 337 F.3d 1373, 1382 (Fed. Cir. 2003)
(``Nippon'').
Both Future Tool and Shandong Machinery were notified in the
Department's questionnaires that failure to submit the requested
information by the date specified might result in the use of facts
available. Generally, it is reasonable to assume that the PRC-wide
entity (including Shandong Machinery and Future Tool) possessed the
records necessary for this administrative review and that, by not
supplying the information the Department requested, these companies
failed to cooperate to the best of their ability. In addition, none of
the companies in this review argued that it was incapable of providing
the information the Department requested, or requested that the
Department modify its reporting requirements in accordance with
782(c)(1) of the Act. Accordingly, because the PRC-wide entity
(including Future Tool and Shandong Machinery) failed to respond to the
Department's requests for information, we preliminarily find that the
PRC-wide entity has not acted to the best of its ability in this
proceeding, within the meaning of section 776(b) of the Act. Therefore,
an adverse inference is warranted in selecting from the facts otherwise
available. See Nippon, 337 F.3d at 1382-83.
C. Selection of An AFA Rate
In deciding which facts to use as AFA, section 776(b) of the Act
and 19 CFR 351.308(c)(1) authorize the Department to rely on
information derived from: 1) the petition; 2) a final determination in
the investigation; 3) any previous review or determination; or 4) any
information placed on the record. In reviews, the Department normally
selects as AFA the highest rate determined for any respondent in any
segment of the proceeding. See, e.g., Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat
from the People's Republic of China: Notice of Final Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 68 FR 19504, 19508 (April 21,
2003). The Court of International Trade (``CIT'') and the Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit (``Federal Circuit'') have consistently
upheld the Department's practice. See Rhone Poulenc, Inc. v. United
States, 899 F.2d 1185, 1190 (Fed. Cir. 1990) (``Rhone Poulenc''); NSK
Ltd. v. United States, 346 F. Supp. 2d 1312, 1335 (CIT 2004) (upholding
a 73.55 percent total AFA rate, the highest available dumping margin
from a different respondent in a less-than-fair-value (``LTFV'')
investigation); Kompass Food Trading Int'l v. United States, 24 CIT
678, 684 (2000) (upholding a 51.16 percent total
[[Page 2218]]
AFA rate, the highest available dumping margin from a different, fully
cooperative respondent); and Shanghai Taoen International Trading Co.,
Ltd. v. United States, 360 F. Supp. 2d 1339, 1348 (CIT 2005) (upholding
a 223.01 percent total AFA rate, the highest available dumping margin
from a different respondent in a previous administrative review). The
Department's practice, when selecting an AFA rate from among the
possible sources of information, has been to ensure that the margin is
sufficiently adverse ``as to effectuate the statutory purposes of the
adverse facts available rule to induce respondents to provide the
Department with complete and accurate information in a timely manner.''
See, e.g., Notice of Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair
Value: Static Random Access Memory Semiconductors from Taiwan, 63 FR
8909, 8932 (February 23, 1998). The Department's practice also ensures
``that the party does not obtain a more favorable result by failing to
cooperate than if it had cooperated fully.'' See SAA at 870; see also
Final Determination of Sales at Less than Fair Value: Certain Frozen
and Canned Warmwater Shrimp from Brazil, 69 FR 76910, 76912 (December
23, 2004); and D&L Supply Co. v. United States, 113 F. 3d 1220, 1223
(Fed. Cir. 1997). In choosing the appropriate balance between providing
respondents with an incentive to respond accurately and imposing a rate
that is reasonably related to the respondent's prior commercial
activity, selecting the highest prior margin ``reflects a common sense
inference that the highest prior margin is the most probative evidence
of current margins, because, if it were not so, the importer, knowing
of the rule, would have produced current information showing the margin
to be less.'' See Rhone Poulenc, 899 F.2d at 1190. Consistent with the
statute, court precedent, and its normal practice, the Department has
assigned the rate of 383.60 percent to the PRC-wide entity (including
Future Tool and Shandong Machinery) as AFA. This rate was assigned in
the investigation of this proceeding and is the highest rate determined
for any party in any segment of this proceeding. See Amended Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Hand Trucks and Certain
Parts Thereof From the People's Republic of China, 69 FR 65410
(November 12, 2004) (Hand Trucks Amended Final Determination). As
discussed below, this rate has been corroborated.
D. Corroboration of Secondary Information
Section 776(c) of the Act provides that when the Department relies
on the facts otherwise available and on ``secondary information,'' the
Department shall, to the extent practicable, corroborate that
information from independent sources reasonably at the Department's
disposal. The SAA states that ``corroborate'' means to determine that
the information used has probative value. See SAA at 870. The
Department has determined that to have probative value, information
must be reliable and relevant. See SAA at 870; see also Tapered Roller
Bearings and Parts Thereof, Finished and Unfinished, From Japan, and
Tapered Roller Bearings, Four Inches or Less in Outside Diameter, and
Components Thereof, From Japan; Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Reviews and Partial Termination of Administrative
Reviews, 61 FR 57391, 57392 (November 6, 1996). The SAA also states
that independent sources used to corroborate such evidence may include,
for example, published price lists, official import statistics and
customs data, and information obtained from interested parties during
the particular investigation. See SAA at 870. See also Preliminary
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: High and Ultra-High
Voltage Ceramic Station Post Insulators from Japan, 68 FR 35627, 35629
(June 16, 2003), unchanged in Notice of Final Determination of Sales at
Less Than Fair Value: High and Ultra-High Voltage Ceramic Station Post
Insulators from Japan, 68 FR 62560, 62561 (Nov. 5, 2003); and Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Live Swine from Canada,
70 FR 12181, 12183-84 (March 11, 2005).
We are applying as AFA the highest rate from any segment of this
administrative proceeding, which is the rate currently applicable to
all exporters subject to the PRC-wide rate. The information upon which
the AFA rate is based in the current review (i.e., the PRC-wide rate of
383.60 percent) was the highest rate calculated based on information
contained in the petition in the LTFV investigation. See Hand Trucks
Amended Final Determination, 69 FR at 65411. This AFA rate is the same
rate that the Department assigned to certain hand truck companies in
the original LTFV final determination. In the investigation, the
Department determined the reliability of the margin contained in the
petition by comparing the U.S. prices from the price quotes in the
petition to prices of comparable products sold by Huatian, a mandatory
respondent in the LTFV investigation, and found them to be comparable.
The Department also compared the SVs used in the petition to the SVs
selected for the final determination, and then adjusted and replaced
certain values to make them more accurate. Finally, the Department
replaced the SV ratios in the petition with those used in the final
investigation. Therefore, in the investigation, we found this margin to
be reliable. See Notice of Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less
Than Fair Value and Postponement of Final Determination: Hand Trucks
and Certain Parts Thereof From the People's Republic of China, 69 FR
29509 (May 24, 2004), and Notice of Final Determination of Sales at
Less Than Fair Value: Hand Trucks and Certain Parts Thereof from the
People's Republic of China, 69 FR 60980 (October 14, 2004), as amended
by Hand Trucks Amended Final Determination, 69 FR at 65411. Further,
the application of this margin was subject to comment from interested
parties in that segment of the proceeding. The Department has received
no information to date that warrants revisiting the issue of the
reliability of the rate and no party has submitted comments challenging
the reliability of this margin. Thus, the Department finds that the
margin calculated in the LTFV investigation is reliable.
With respect to the relevance aspect of corroboration, the
Department will consider information reasonably at its disposal to
determine whether a margin continues to have relevance. Where
circumstances indicate that the selected margin is not appropriate as
AFA, the Department will disregard the margin and determine an
appropriate margin. For example, in Fresh Cut Flowers from Mexico:
Final Results of Antidumping Administrative Review, 61 FR 6812
(February 22, 1996), the Department disregarded the highest margin in
that case as adverse best information available (the predecessor to
facts available) because the margin was based on another company's
uncharacteristic business expense resulting in an unusually high
margin. Similarly, the Department does not apply a margin that has been
discredited. See D & L Supply Co. v. United States, 113 F.3d 1220, 1222
(Fed. Cir. 1997) (the Department will not use a margin that has been
judicially invalidated). None of these unusual circumstances are
present here. Further, the selected margin is currently the PRC-wide
rate. As there is no information on the record of this review that
indicates that this rate is not
[[Page 2219]]
relevant as AFA for Future Tool and Shandong Machinery and the PRC-wide
entity, we determine that this rate is relevant.
Because the rate is both reliable and relevant, it has probative
value. Accordingly, we determine that the highest rate determined in
any segment of this administrative proceeding (i.e., 383.60 percent) is
corroborated (i.e., it has probative value). We have assigned this AFA
rate to exports of the subject merchandise by the PRC-wide entity,
including Future Tool and Shandong Machinery.
Separate Rates
In proceedings involving NME countries, the Department begins with
a rebuttable presumption that all companies within the country are
subject to government control and, thus, should be assigned a single
antidumping duty deposit rate. It is the Department's policy to assign
all exporters of merchandise subject to review in an NME country this
single rate unless an exporter can demonstrate that it is sufficiently
independent so as to be entitled to a separate rate. Taifa has provided
company-specific information and has certified that it meets the
standards for the assignment of a separate rate.
We have considered whether Taifa is eligible for a separate rate.
The Department's separate-rate test to determine whether the exporters
are independent from government control does not consider, in general,
macroeconomic/border-type controls, e.g., export licenses, quotas, and
minimum export prices, particularly if these controls are imposed to
prevent dumping. The test focuses, rather, on controls over the
investment, pricing, and output decision-making process at the
individual firm level. See, e.g., Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel
Plate from Ukraine: Final Determination of Sales at Less than Fair
Value, 62 FR 61754, 61758 (November 19, 1997); and Tapered Roller
Bearings and Parts Thereof, Finished and Unfinished, from the People's
Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 62 FR 61276, 61279 (November 17, 1997).
To establish whether a firm is sufficiently independent from
government control of its export activities to be entitled to a
separate rate, the Department analyzes each entity exporting the
subject merchandise under a test arising from the Final Determination
of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Sparklers from the People's Republic
of China, 56 FR 20588 (May 6, 1991) (``Sparklers''), as further
developed in Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value:
Silicon Carbide from the People's Republic of China, 59 FR 22585 (May
2,1994) (``Silicon Carbide''). In accordance with the separate-rates
criteria, the Department assigns separate rates in NME cases only if
respondents can demonstrate the absence of both de jure and de facto
government control over export activities.
1. Absence of De Jure Control
The Department considers the following de jure criteria in
determining whether an individual company may be granted a separate
rate: (1) an absence of restrictive stipulations associated with an
individual exporter's business and export licenses; (2) any legislative
enactments decentralizing control of companies; and (3) other formal
measures by the government decentralizing control of companies. See
Sparklers, 56 FR at 20589.
On June 22, 2007, we received Taifa's separate-rate certification.
Our analysis shows that, for Taifa, the evidence on the record supports
a preliminary finding of de jure absence of government control based on
record statements and supporting documentation showing the following:
1) an absence of restrictive stipulations associated with the
individual exporter's business and export licenses; 2) the applicable
legislative enactments decentralizing control of the companies; and 3)
any other formal measures by the government decentralizing control of
companies. See Tafia's Separate Rate Certification Submission dated
March 15, 2007.
2. Absence of De Facto Control
Through previous cases, the Department has learned that certain
enactments of the PRC central government have not been implemented
uniformly among different sectors and/or jurisdictions in the PRC. See
Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Certain Preserved
Mushrooms from the People's Republic of China, 63 FR 72255 (December
31, 1998). Therefore, the Department has determined that an analysis of
de facto control is critical in determining whether respondents are, in
fact, subject to a degree of government control which would preclude
the Department from assigning separate rates. The Department considers
four factors in evaluating whether each respondent is subject to de
facto government control of its export functions: (1) whether the
exporter sets its own export prices independent of the government and
without the approval of a government authority; (2) whether the
respondent has the authority to negotiate and sign contracts, and other
agreements; (3) whether the respondent has autonomy from the government
in making decisions regarding the selection of its management; and (4)
whether the respondent retains the proceeds of its export sales and
makes independent decisions regarding disposition of profits or
financing of losses. See Silicon Carbide, 59 FR at 22587; Sparklers, 56
FR at 20589.
We determine that, for Taifa, the evidence on the record supports a
preliminary finding of de facto absence of government control based on
record statements and supporting documentation showing the following:
1) it sets its own export prices independent of the government and
without the approval of a government authority; 2) it retains the
proceeds from its sales and makes independent decisions regarding
disposition of profits or financing of losses; 3) it has the authority
to negotiate and sign contracts and other agreements; and 4) it has
autonomy from the government regarding the selection of management. See
Tafia's Separate Rate Certification Submission, dated March 15, 2007.
On December 7, 2007, Petitioners put on the record certain evidence
that Petitioners claimed demonstrated that the PRC government owns a
majority of shares in Taifa and that Taifa is therefore subject to
government control and ineligible for a separate rate. See Handtrucks
and Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Comments
Regarding Taifa's Questionnaire Responses. In our separate-rate
analysis, however, government ownership by itself is not dispositive in
determining government control. See Silicon Carbide, 59 FR at 22586. As
described above, we analyze de jure and de facto evidence to determine
government control. In their December 7, 2007, submission, Petitioners
have provided no other evidence regarding the de jure and de facto
factors in our separate-rates test. Therefore, because evidence placed
on the record of this administrative review by Taifa demonstrates an
absence of government control, both in law and in fact, with respect to
Taifa's exports of the subject merchandise, in accordance with the
criteria identified in Sparklers and Silicon Carbide, for the purposes
of these preliminary results, we have granted a separate rate to Taifa.
Normal Value Comparisons
To determine whether sales of the subject merchandise by Taifa to
the United States were made at prices below
[[Page 2220]]
NV, we compared each company's export prices (EPs) to NV, as described
in the ``Export Price'' and ``Normal Value'' sections of this notice,
below.
Export Price
For Taifa, we used EP methodology in accordance with section 772(a)
of the Act for sales in which the subject merchandise was first sold
prior to importation by the exporter outside the United States directly
to an unaffiliated purchaser in the United States and for sales in
which constructed export price was not otherwise indicated.
For Taifa, we calculated EP based on delivered prices to
unaffiliated purchaser(s) in the United States. We made deductions from
the U.S. sales price for movement expenses in accordance with section
772(c)(2)(A) of the Act. These included foreign inland freight, foreign
brokerage and handling expenses, marine insurance. For a detailed
description of all adjustments, see Memorandum to The File Through
Robert Bolling, Program Manager, China/NME Group, from Paul Stolz, Case
Analyst, Analysis for the Preliminary Results of Hand Trucks and
Certain Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Qingdao
Taifa Group Co. Ltd. (``Analysis Memo Taifa''), dated concurrently with
this notice.
Normal Value
Section 773(c)(1) of the Act provides that the Department shall
determine NV using an FOPs methodology if: (1) the merchandise is
exported from an NME country; and (2) the information does not permit
the calculation of NV using home market prices, third country prices,
or constructed value under section 773(a) of the Act. When determining
NV in an NME context, the Department will base NV on FOPs because the
presence of government controls on various aspects of these economies
renders price comparisons and the calculation of production costs
invalid under our normal methodologies. Under section 773(c)(3) of the
Act, FOPs include but are not limited to: (1) hours of labor required;
(2) quantities of raw materials employed; (3) amounts of energy and
other utilities consumed; and (4) representative capital costs. We used
FOPs reported by respondents for materials, energy, labor and packing.
In accordance with 19 CFR 351.408(c)(1), the Department will
normally use publicly available information to find an appropriate SV
to value FOPs, but when a producer sources an input from a market
economy and pays for it in market-economy currency, the Department will
normally value the factor using the actual price paid for the input.
See 19 CFR 351.408(c)(1); see also Lasko Metal Products, Inc. v. United
States, 43 F.3d 1442, 1446 (Fed. Cir. 1994). However, when the
Department has reason to believe or suspect that such prices may be
distorted by subsidies, the Department will disregard the market
economy purchase prices and use SVs to determine the NV. See Brake
Rotors From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative and New Shipper Reviews and Partial
Rescission of the 2005-2006 Administrative Review, 72 FR 42386 (August
2, 2007) (``Brake Rotors''), and accompanying Issues and Decision
Memorandum at Comment 1.
It is the Department's consistent practice that, where the facts
developed in the United States or third country countervailing duty
findings include the existence of subsidies that appear to be used
generally (in particular, broadly available, non-industry-specific
export subsidies), it is reasonable for the Department to find that it
has particular and objective evidence to support a reason to believe or
suspect that prices of the inputs from the country granting the
subsidies may be subsidized. See Brake Rotors and China National
Machinery Imp. & Exp. Corp. v. United States, 293 F. Supp. 2d 1334,
1338-39 (CIT 2003).
In avoiding the use of prices that may be subsidized, the
Department does not conduct a formal investigation to ensure that such
prices are not subsidized, but rather relies on information that is
generally available at the time of its determination. See H.R. Rep.
100-576, at 590 (1988), reprinted in 1988 U.S.C.C.A.N. 1547, 1623-24.
We have reason to believe or suspect that prices of inputs from
Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand may have been subsidized. Through
other proceedings, the Department has learned that these countries
maintain broadly available, non-industry-specific export subsidies and,
therefore, finds it reasonable to infer that all exports to all markets
from these countries may be subsidized. See Brake Rotors. Accordingly,
we have disregarded prices from Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand in
calculating the Indian import-based SVs because we have reason to
believe or suspect such prices may be subsidized.
Factor Valuations
In accordance with section 773(c) of the Act, we calculated NV
based on FOPs reported by respondents for the POR. To calculate NV, we
multiplied the reported per unit factor consumption quantities by
publicly available Indian SVs (except as noted below). In selecting the
SVs, we considered the quality, specificity, and contemporaneity of the
data. As appropriate, we adjusted input prices by including freight
costs to make them delivered prices. Specifically, we added to Indian
import SVs a surrogate freight cost using the shorter of the reported
distance from the domestic supplier to the factory or the distance from
the nearest seaport to the factory where appropriate (i.e., where the
sales terms for the market-economy inputs were not delivered to the
factory). This adjustment is in accordance with the decision of the
Federal Circuit in Sigma Corp. v. United States, 117 F.3d 1401, 1407-08
(Fed. Cir. 1997). Due to the extensive number of SVs it was necessary
to assign in this administrative review, we present a discussion of the
main factors. For a detailed description of all SVs used to value the
respondent's reported FOPs, see Factor Valuation Memorandum.
During the POR, Taifa purchased all or a portion of certain inputs
from a market economy supplier and paid for the inputs in a market
economy currency. The Department has instituted a rebuttable
presumption that market economy input prices are the best available
information for valuing an input when the total volume of the input
purchased from all market economy sources during the period of
investigation or review exceeds 33 percent of the total volume of the
input purchased from all sources during the period. In these cases,
unless case-specific facts provide adequate grounds to rebut the
Department's presumption, the Department will use the weighted-average
market economy purchase price to value the input. Alternatively, when
the volume of an NME firm's purchases of an input from market economy
suppliers during the period is below 33 percent of its total volume of
purchases of the input during the period, but where these purchases are
otherwise valid and there is no reason to disregard the prices, the
Department will weight-average the weighted-average market economy
purchase price with an appropriate SV according to their respective
shares of the total volume of purchases, unless case-specific facts
provide adequate grounds to rebut the presumption. When a firm has made
market economy input purchases that may have been dumped or subsidized,
are not bona fide, or are otherwise not acceptable for use in a dumping
calculation, the Department will exclude them from the numerator of the
ratio to ensure a fair determination of
[[Page 2221]]
whether valid market economy purchases meet the 33-percent threshold.
See Antidumping Methodologies: Market Economy Inputs, Expected Non-
Market Economy Wages, Duty Drawback; and Request for Comments, 71 FR
61716, 61717-18 (October 19, 2006). Accordingly, we valued Taifa's
inputs using the market economy prices paid for the inputs where the
total volume of the input purchased from all market economy sources
during the POR exceeded 33 percent of the total volume of the input
purchased from all sources during that period. Alternatively, when the
volume of Taifa's purchases of an input from market economy suppliers
during the POR was below 33 percent of the company's total volume of
purchases of the input during the POR, we weight-averaged the weighted-
average market economy purchase price with an appropriate surrogate
value according to their respective shares of the total volume of
purchases, as appropriate. Where appropriate, we increased the market
economy prices of inputs by freight and brokerage and handling
expenses. See Taifa's Factor Value Memorandum. For a detailed
description of all actual values used for market-economy inputs, see
the Analysis Memo Taifa. Where the quantity of the input purchased from
market-economy suppliers is insignificant, the Department will not rely
on the price paid by an NME producer to a market-economy supplier
because it cannot have confidence that a company could fulfill all its
needs at that price.
We used contemporaneous import data from the World Trade Atlas
online (``Indian Import Statistics''), published by the Directorate
General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, Ministry of Commerce
of India, to calculate SVs for the reported FOPs purchased from NME
sources. Where data appeared to be aberrational within selected HTS
values, we removed the aberrational data from the calculation of these
selected HTS values. Among the FOPs for which we calculated SVs using
Indian Import Statistics are brightening agents, carbon dioxide, cast
aluminum, dye, epoxy resin, hot-rolled steel plate, nitric acid,
phosphoric acid, steel rod, zinc ingots, and zinc powder. For a
complete listing of all the inputs and the valuation for each mandatory
respondent see the Factor Valuation Memorandum.
Where we could not obtain publicly available information
contemporaneous with the POR with which to value FOPs, we adjusted the
SVs using, where appropriate, the Indian Wholesale Price Index (``WP'')
as published in the International Financial Statistics of the
International Monetary Fund. See Factor Valuation Memorandum; see also
Tapered Roller Bearings and Parts Thereof, Finished and Unfinished,
from the People's Republic of China: Final Results of 2003-2004
Administrative Review and Partial Rescission of Review, 71 FR 2517,
2522 (January 17, 2006).
For direct labor, indirect labor, and packing labor, consistent
with 19 CFR 351.408(c)(3), we used the PRC regression-based wage rate
as reported on Import Administration's website, Import Library,
Expected Wages of Selected NME Countries, revised in January 2007,
https://ia.ita.doc.gov/wages/04wages/04wages-010907.html. The source of
these wage-rate data is the Yearbook of Labour Statistics 2006, ILO
(Geneva: 2006), Chapter 5B: Wages in Manufacturing. The years of the
reported wage rates range from 2004 and 2005. Because this regression-
based wage rate does not separate the labor rates into different skill
levels or types of labor, we have applied the same wage rate to all
skill levels and types of labor reported by the respondent. See Factor
Valuation Memorandum.
To value electricity, we used data from the International Energy
Agency (``IEA'') Key World Energy Statistics (2003 edition). Because
the value for electricity was not contemporaneous with the POR, we
adjusted it for inflation. See Factor Valuation Memorandum.
To calculate the value for domestic brokerage and handling, the
Department used information available to it contained in the public
version of two questionnaire responses placed on the record of separate
proceedings. The first source was December 2003-November 2004 data
contained in the public version of Essar Steel's February 28, 2005,
questionnaire submitted in the antidumping duty administrative review
of hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from India. See Certain Hot-
Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products from India: Notice of Preliminary
Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 71 FR 2018 (January
12, 2006)(unchanged in final results). This value was averaged with the
February 2004-January 2005 data contained in the public version of Agro
Dutch Industries Limited's (``Agro Dutch'') May 24, 2005, questionnaire
response submitted in the administrative review of the antidumping duty
order on certain preserved mushrooms from India. See Certain Preserved
Mushrooms From India: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 70 FR 37757 (June 30, 2005) (Agro Dutch's May 24, 2005,
submission). The brokerage expense data reported by Essar Steel and
Agro Dutch in their public versions are ranged data. The Department
derived an average per-unit amount from each source and then adjusted
each average rate for inflation using the WPI. The Department then
averaged the two per-unit amounts to derive an overall average rate for
the POR. See Factor Valuation Memorandum.
To value international freight, the Department obtained generally
publicly available price quotes from Maersk Sealand at https://
www.maersksealand.com/HomePage/appmanager/, a market-economy provider
of international freight services. See Factor Valuation Memorandum.
The Department valued steam coal using the 2003/2004 Tata Energy
Research Institute's Energy Data Directory & Yearbook (``TERI Data'').
The Department was able to determine, through its examination of the
2003/2004 TERI Data, that: a) the annual TERI Data publication is
complete and comprehensive because it covers all sales of all types of
coal made by Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries, and b) the annual
TERI Data publication prices are exclusive of duties and taxes. Because
the value was not contemporaneous with the POR, the Department adjusted
the rate for inflation. See Factor Valuation Memorandum.
We used Indian transport information in order to value the freight-
in cost of the raw materials. The Department determined the best
available information for valuing truck and rail freight to be from
www.infreight.com. This source provides daily rates from six major
points of origin to five destinations in India during the POR. The
Department obtained a price quote on the first day of each month of the
POR from each point of origin to each destination and averaged the data
accordingly. See Factor Valuation Memorandum.
To value factory overhead, selling, general, and administrative
expenses (``SG&A''), and profit, we used the audited financial
statements for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2005, from the
following producer: Rexello Castors Pvt. Ltd., which is an Indian
producer of comparable merchandise. From this information, we were able
to determine factory overhead as a percentage of the total raw
materials, labor and energy (``ML&E'') costs; SG&A as a percentage of
ML&E plus overhead (i.e., cost of manufacture); and the profit rate as
a
[[Page 2222]]
percentage of the cost of manufacture plus SG&A. For further
discussion, see Factor Valuation Memorandum.
We valued diesel oil using data obtained from the IEA Key World
Energy Statistics 2007, for the first quarter of 2007. Because these
data were after the POR, we applied a WPI deflator to make them
contemporaneous with the POR. See Factor Valuation Memorandum.
Finally, Taifa reported that it generated certain other by-products
as a result of the production of hand trucks. We valued aluminum and
steel scrap using Indian import statistics as published by the WTA,
contemporaneous with the POR. We valued aluminum scrap and recycled
paint powder using Indian import statistics as published by the WTA,
contemporaneous with the POR.
Preliminary Results of Review
We preliminarily determine that the following margins exist during
the period December 1, 2005, through November 30, 2006:
Hand Trucks and Parts Thereof from the PRC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weighted-Average
Exporter Margin (Percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qingdao Taifa Group Co. Ltd......................... 3.82
PRC-Wide Rate\2\.................................... 383.60
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ We note that because both Future Tool and Shandong Machinery are
part of the PRC-wide entity, they are subject to the PRC-wide rate.
Disclosure
The Department will disclose calculations performed for these
preliminary results to the parties within five days of the date of
publication of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b). Any
interested party may request a hearing within 30 days of publication of
these preliminary results. See 19 CFR 351.310(c). Any hearing, if
requested, will generally be held two days after the scheduled date for
submission of rebuttal briefs. See 19 CFR 351.310(d). Interested
parties may submit case briefs and/or written comments no later than 30
days after the date of publication of these preliminary results of
review. See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(ii). Rebuttal briefs and rebuttals to
written comments, limited to issues raised in such briefs or comments,
may be filed no later than five days after the time limit for filing
the case briefs. See 19 CFR 351.309(d). Further, we request that
parties submitting written comments provide the Department with an
additional copy of those comments on diskette. The Department will
issue the final results of this administrative review, which will
include the results of its analysis of issues raised in any comments,
and at a hearing, within 120 days of publication of these preliminary
results, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.
Assessment Rates
The Department shall determine, and CBP shall assess, antidumping
duties on all appropriate entries. The Department intends to issue
assessment instructions to CBP 15 days after the date of publication of
the final results of review. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1), we will
calculate importer- or customer-specific ad valorem duty assessment
rates based on the ratio of the total amount of the dumping margins
calculated for the examined sales to the total entered value of those
same sales. To determine whether the duty assessment rates are de
minimis (i.e., less than 0.50 percent), in accordance with the
requirement set forth in 19 CFR 351.106(c)(2), we will calculate
customer-specific ad valorem ratios based on export prices.
We will instruct CBP to assess antidumping duties on all
appropriate entries covered by this review if any importer- or
customer-specific assessment rate calculated in the final results of
this review is above de minimis.
For entries of the subject merchandise during the POR from
companies not subject to this review, we will instruct CBP to liquidate
them at the cash deposit rate in effect at the time of entry. The final
results of this review shall be the basis for the assessment of
antidumping duties on entries of merchandise covered by the final
results of this review and for future deposits of estimated duties,
where applicable.
Cash Deposit Requirements
The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon
publication of the final results of this administrative review for
shipments of the subject merchandise from the PRC entered, or withdrawn
from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date, as
provided by sections 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) for Taifa, which has
a separate rate, the cash deposit rate will be that established in the
final results of this review (except, if the rate is zero or de
minimis, zero cash deposit will be required); (2) for previously
investigated or reviewed PRC and non-PRC exporters not listed above
that received a separate rate in a prior segment of this proceeding
(which were not reviewed in this segment of the proceeding), the cash
deposit rate will continue to be the exporter-specific rate; (3) for
all PRC exporters of subject merchandise that have not been found to be
entitled to a separate rate, the cash deposit rate will be the PRC-wide
rate of 383.60 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 exporter that supplied that
non-PRC exporter. These deposit requirements