[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 19 (Thursday, January 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4430-4431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-2237]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration
[A-570-506]


Porcelain-on-Steel Cooking Ware From the People's Republic of 
China: Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty 
Administrative Review And Intent Not To Revoke Antidumping Duty Order, 
In Part

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of preliminary results of changed circumstances 
antidumping duty administrative review and intent not to revoke 
antidumping duty order, in part.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce is conducting a changed 
circumstances administrative review of the antidumping duty order on 
porcelain-on-steel cooking ware from the People's Republic of China to 
determine whether to revoke partially the order with respect to 
porcelain-on-steel tea kettles. General Housewares Corp., the 
petitioner and sole U.S. producer of porcelain-on-steel cooking ware, 
has expressed interest in maintaining the order with respect to 
porcelain-on-steel tea kettles from the People's Republic of China, and 
objects to the partial revocation of this order with respect to 
porcelain-on-steel tea kettles. We preliminarily determine not to 
revoke the order, in part, with respect to porcelain-on-steel tea 
kettles. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary 
results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 29, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne King or Lorenza Olivas, Office 
of CVD/AD Enforcement 6, Import Administration, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
2786.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Applicable Statute and Regulations

    Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the statute are 
references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective 
date of the amendments made to the Tariff Act of 1930 (the Act) by the 
Uruguay Round Agreements Act. In addition, unless otherwise indicated, 
all citations to the Department's regulations are to the regulations as 
set forth at 19 CFR 353.1, et seq., as amended by the interim 
regulations published in the Federal Register on May 11, 1995 (60 FR 
25130), which were applicable on May 30, 1997, the date of the 
respondents' request for a changed circumstances administrative review 
of the antidumping duty order on porcelain-on-steel cooking ware from 
the PRC.

Background

    On December 2, 1986, the Department of Commerce (the Department) 
published in the Federal Register (51 FR 43414) an antidumping duty 
order on porcelain-on-steel (POS) cooking ware from the People's 
Republic of China (PRC).
    On May 30, 1997, Clover Enamelware Enterprises Ltd. and Lucky 
Enamelware Factory Ltd. (Clover/Lucky) requested that the Department 
conduct a changed circumstances administrative review to determine, 
pursuant to 19 CFR 353.25(d), whether to revoke partially the 
antidumping duty order on POS cooking ware from the PRC with regard to 
POS tea kettles. The basis for Clover/Lucky's request was that the sole 
U.S. producer of POS cooking ware, General Housewares Corp. (GHC), 
affirmatively stated in its request for a changed circumstances review 
of the antidumping duty order on POS cooking ware from Taiwan, that it 
no longer manufactured POS tea kettles and thus had no interest in the 
importation or sale of POS tea kettles. Based on GHC's affirmative 
statement of no interest, with respect to tea kettles, submitted in the 
antidumping proceeding on POS cooking ware from Taiwan, the Department 
revoked the antidumping order on POS cooking ware from Taiwan, with 
respect to tea kettles. See Porcelain on Steel Cooking Ware from 
Taiwan: Final Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping 
Administrative Review, and Revocation in Part of Antidumping Duty 
Order, 62 FR 10024 (March 5, 1997). Clover/Lucky asserted that GHC's 
statements in the Taiwan case should also be the basis for revoking, in 
part, the antidumping duty order on POS cooking ware from the PRC with 
respect to tea kettles.
    On August 27, 1997, the Department published in the Federal 
Register (62 FR 45395) a notice of initiation of changed circumstances 
review of the antidumping duty order on POS cooking ware from the PRC, 
based on the information contained in Clover/Lucky's May 30, 1997 
request. On September 11, 1997, the Department issued a questionnaire 
to GHC, the sole U.S. producer of POS cooking ware, to determine 
whether GHC is interested in retaining POS tea kettles within the scope 
of the antidumping duty order on POS cooking ware from the PRC. In its

[[Page 4431]]

September 25, 1997 response, GHC stated that it is interested in the 
antidumping order with regard to POS tea kettles from the PRC, and 
objected to the partial revocation of the order with respect to POS tea 
kettles.

Scope of Review

    The products covered by this antidumping duty order are POS cooking 
ware, including tea kettles, which do not have self-contained electric 
heating elements. All of the foregoing are constructed of steel and are 
enameled or glazed with vitreous glasses. Kitchenware is not subject to 
this order. See Antidumping Duty Order: Porcelain-on-Steel Cooking Ware 
from the People's Republic of China, 51 FR 43414 (December 2, 1986).
    The products covered by this changed circumstances review are POS 
tea kettles from the PRC. Imports of POS tea kettles are currently 
classifiable under the harmonized tariff schedule (HTS) subheading 
7323.94.00.10. The HTS subheading is provided for convenience and 
Customs purposes. Our written description of the scope of this 
proceeding is dispositive. The order with regard to imports of other 
POS cooking ware is not affected by this changed circumstances review.

Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty 
Administrative Review

    Pursuant to section 751(d) of the Act, the Department may partially 
revoke an antidumping duty order based on a review under section 751(b) 
of the Act. Section 782(h) of the Act and Sec. 353.25(d)(1) of the 
Department's regulations provide that the Department may revoke an 
order, or revoke an order in part, if it determines that changed 
circumstances sufficient to warrant revocation of the order, or part of 
the order, exist. The petitioner and sole U.S. producer of POS cooking 
ware submitted an affirmative statement of interest in this order with 
respect to POS tea kettles. On the basis of the record developed in 
this proceeding, we preliminarily determine that changed circumstances 
sufficient to warrant partial revocation of the antidumping duty order 
on POS cooking ware from the PRC with respect to POS tea kettles do not 
exist.
    The current requirements for the cash deposit of estimated 
antidumping duties on all subject merchandise will remain in effect 
until the publication of the final results of the next administrative 
review.

Public Comment

    Any interested party may request a hearing within 10 days of 
publication of this notice. Any hearing, if requested, will be held no 
later than 28 days after the date of publication of this notice, or the 
first working day thereafter. Case briefs and/or written comments from 
interested parties may be submitted no later than 30 days after the 
date of publication of this notice. As part of the case brief, 
petitioners are encouraged to provide a summary of the arguments not to 
exceed five pages and a table of statutes, regulations, and cases 
cited. Rebuttal briefs and rebuttals to written comments, limited to 
the issues raised in those case briefs or comments, may be filed no 
later than 37 days after the publication of this notice. All written 
comments must be submitted in accordance with 19 CFR 353.31(e) and must 
be served on all interested parties on the Department's service list in 
accordance with 19 CFR 353.31(g). Persons interested in attending the 
hearing should contact the Department for the date and time of the 
hearing. The Department will publish in the Federal Register a notice 
of final results of this changed circumstances antidumping duty 
administrative review, including the results of its analysis of any 
issues raised in any written comments.
    This notice is in accordance with sections 751 (b)(1) and (d) and 
777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 353.22(f)(1).

    Dated: January 22, 1998.
Robert S. LaRussa,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 98-2237 Filed 1-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P