[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 10, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11834-11836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5943]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration
[A-570-852]


Initiation of Antidumping Duty Investigation: Creatine From the 
People's Republic of China

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 10, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marian Wells, Blanche Ziv or Rosa 
Jeong, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-6309, (202) 482-4207, or 
(202) 482-3853, respectively.

Initiation of Investigation

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 (URAA). In addition, unless otherwise 
indicated, all citations to the Department of Commerce's (the 
Department's) regulations are to 19 CFR Part 351 (1998).

The Petition

    On February 12, 1999, the Department received a petition filed in 
proper form by Pfanstiehl Laboratories, Inc., referred to hereinafter 
as ``the petitioner.'' The petitioner filed supplemental information to 
the petition on March 1, 1999.
    In accordance with section 732(b) of the Act, the petitioner 
alleges that imports of creatine from the People's Republic of China 
(PRC) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less 
than fair value within the meaning of section 731 of the Act, and that 
such imports are materially injuring an industry in the United States.
    The Department finds that the petitioner filed this petition on 
behalf of the domestic industry because it is an interested party as 
defined in section 771(9)(C) of the Act and it represents, at a 
minimum, the required proportion of the United States industry (see 
Determination of Industry Support for the Petition section below).

Scope of Investigation

    For purposes of this investigation, the product covered is commonly 
referred to as creatine monohydrate or creatine. The chemical name for 
creatine covered under this investigation is N-(aminoiminomethyl)-N-
methylglycine monohydrate. The Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) 
registry numbers for this product are 57-00-1 and 6020-87-7. Pure 
creatine is a white, tasteless, odorless powder, that is a naturally 
occurring metabolite found in muscle tissue. The merchandise subject to 
this investigation is classifiable under subheading 2925.20.90 of the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the 
HTSUS subheading is provided for convenience and customs purposes, the 
written description of the merchandise under investigation is 
dispositive.
    During our review of the petition, we discussed the scope with the 
petitioner to ensure the petition accurately reflects the product for 
which the domestic industry is seeking relief. Moreover, as discussed 
in the preamble to the Department's regulations (62 FR 27296, 27323), 
we are setting aside a period for parties to raise issues regarding 
product coverage. The Department encourages all parties to submit such 
comments within 20 days of publication of this notice. Comments should 
be addressed to Import Administration's Central Records Unit at Room 
1870, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, 
NW, Washington, DC 20230. The period of scope consultations is intended 
to provide the Department with ample opportunity to consider all 
comments and consult with parties prior to the issuance of our 
preliminary determination.

Determination of Industry Support for the Petition

    Section 732(b)(1) of the Act requires that a petition be filed on 
behalf of the domestic industry. Section 732(c)(4)(A) of the Act 
provides that a petition meets this requirement if the domestic 
producers or workers who support the petition account for: (1) at least 
25 percent of the total production of the domestic like product; and 
(2) more than 50 percent of the production of the domestic like product 
produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or 
opposition to, the petition.
    Section 771(4)(A) of the Act defines the ``industry'' as the 
producers of a

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domestic like product. Thus, to determine whether the petition has the 
requisite industry support, the Act directs the Department to look to 
producers and workers who account for production of the domestic like 
product. The International Trade Commission (ITC), which is responsible 
for determining whether ``the domestic industry'' has been injured, 
must also determine what constitutes a domestic like product in order 
to define the industry. While both the Department and the ITC must 
apply the same statutory definition regarding the domestic like product 
(section 771(10) of the Act), they do so for different purposes and 
pursuant to separate and distinct authority. In addition, the 
Department's determination is subject to limitations of time and 
information. Although this may result in different definitions of the 
domestic like product, such differences do not render the decision of 
either agency contrary to the law.1 Section 771(10) of the 
Act defines the domestic like product as ``a product that is like, or 
in the absence of like, most similar in characteristics and uses with, 
the article subject to an investigation under this title.'' Thus, the 
reference point from which the domestic like product analysis begins is 
``the article subject to an investigation,'' i.e., the class or kind of 
merchandise to be investigated, which normally will be the scope as 
defined in the petition.
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    \1\ See Algoma Steel Corp. Ltd., v. United States, 688 F. Supp. 
639, 642-44 (CIT 1988); High Information Content Flat Panel Displays 
and Display Glass Therefore from Japan: Final Determination; 
Rescission of Investigation and Partial Dismissal of Petition, 56 FR 
32376, 32380-81 (July 16, 1991).
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    The domestic like product referred to in the petition is the single 
domestic like product defined in the ``Scope of Investigation'' section 
above. The Department has no basis on the record to find this 
definition of the domestic like product to be inaccurate. The 
Department, therefore, has adopted this domestic like product 
definition.
    On February 19, 1999, the ITC presented us with information 
indicating that there are three additional producers of the domestic 
like product that were not included in the petition. Subsequently, our 
research also revealed one additional producer of the domestic like 
product not included in the petition. To determine whether the 
petitioner met the statutory requirement cited above, we contacted all 
companies identified by the ITC and the Department as well as the two 
companies included in the petition. Based on production data supplied 
by the petitioner and collected by the Department and now on the 
record, we determine that the petition has been filed on behalf of the 
domestic industry within the meaning of section 732(b)(1) of the Act. 
See  Initiation Checklist dated March 4, 1999 (public version on file 
in the Central Records Unit of the Department of Commerce, Room B-099) 
(``Initiation Checklist'').

Export Price and Normal Value

    The following is a description of the allegation of sales at less 
than fair value upon which our decision to initiate this investigation 
is based. Should the need arise to use any of this information in our 
preliminary or final determination for purposes of facts available 
under section 776 of the Act, we may re-examine the information and 
revise the margin calculations, if appropriate.
    The petitioner identified five potential PRC exporters and 
producers of creatine. The petitioner based export price on offers for 
sale of the subject merchandise to U.S. purchasers by PRC exporters in 
November 1998 and January 1999. From these starting prices, the 
petitioner deducted international freight, marine insurance, and 
foreign brokerage and handling. The petitioner based international 
freight and marine insurance fees on current quotations from a U.S. 
freight forwarding company. In order to calculate foreign brokerage and 
handling, the petitioner used the value of Indian brokerage and 
handling charges, claiming that the petitioner does not have 
information on the costs associated with brokerage and handling 
incurred in the PRC prior to export to the United States. The foreign 
brokerage and handling charges, which were based on the Department's 
``Index of Factor Values for Use in Antidumping Duty Investigations 
Involving Products From the PRC,'' dated June 1996 (``Index of Factor 
Values''), were adjusted for inflation using the Indian Wholesale Price 
Index (WPI).
    Because the PRC is considered a nonmarket economy (NME) country 
under section 771(18) of the Act, the petitioner based normal value 
(NV) on the factors of production valued in a surrogate country, in 
accordance with section 773(c)(3) of the Act. The petitioner selected 
India as the most appropriate surrogate market economy. For the factors 
of production, the petitioner used its own factor inputs and 
consumption data for materials, labor and energy, based on the 
production process that the petitioner employed in 1993 and 1994. The 
petitioner did not include an amount for representative capital costs, 
including depreciation, as provided in subsection 773(c)(3)(D) of the 
Act. Thus, petitioner potentially understated costs, thereby providing 
a conservative calculation of the alleged dumping. According to 
information presented by the petitioner, the operation of the PRC 
producers of the subject merchandise has not reached the level of 
technology and efficiency represented by the petitioner's present 
manufacturing process. As such, the petitioner alleged that its 
production process of 1993 and 1994 most closely approximates that 
currently being utilized by the PRC producers of the subject 
merchandise. Where the 1993 and 1994 consumption data were unavailable 
(i.e., electricity and water), the petitioner used its current data.
    Materials were valued based on Indian prices obtained from the 
petitioner's market research of publicly available information and 
published price lists. Labor was valued using the regression-based wage 
rate for the PRC provided by the Department, in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.408(c)(3). The values for water and electricity were obtained from 
international publications containing the prices applicable to India. 
The natural gas value was based on the Department's Index of Factor 
Values. The petitioner also valued the cost of disposing the waste 
generated in the production process using its own cost information. The 
petitioner used its own cost of waste disposal as facts available 
because it has no direct knowledge of the actual means of disposing of 
waste by the PRC producers. For factory overhead, selling, general and 
administrative expenses, and profit, the petitioner applied rates 
derived from information gathered from the Reserve Bank of India 
Bulletin. Packing factors were based on the Department's Index of 
Factor Values.

Fair Value Comparisons

    Based on the data provided by the petitioner, there is reason to 
believe that imports of creatine from the PRC are being, or are likely 
to be, sold at less than fair value. Based on a comparison of EP to NV, 
the petitioner's calculated dumping margins range from 120.9 percent to 
153.7 percent.

Allegations and Evidence of Material Injury and Causation

    The petition alleges that the U.S. industry producing the domestic 
like product is being materially injured, and is threatened with 
material injury, by reason of the imports of the subject merchandise 
sold at less than NV. The allegations of injury and causation are 
supported by relevant evidence including U.S. Customs import data, lost 
sales, and pricing information. The

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Department assessed the allegations and supporting evidence regarding 
material injury and causation and determined that these allegations are 
supported by accurate and adequate evidence and meet the statutory 
requirements for initiation. See Initiation Checklist.

Allegation of Critical Circumstances

    The petitioner has alleged that critical circumstances exist and 
has asked the Department to make an expedited finding. To support its 
allegation, the petitioner has provided evidence in the petition in the 
form of PIERS data showing, among other things, a trend of increased 
imports of the subject merchandise from the third to the fourth quarter 
of 1998. Specifically, petitioner contends that creatine imports from 
the PRC surged more than 150 percent from the third to the fourth 
quarter. The petitioner also provided evidence suggesting the person by 
whom, or for whose account, the merchandise is imported knew or should 
have known that the merchandise was being sold at less than fair value 
and that there was likely to be material injury as a result. Petitioner 
argues that its January 25, 1999 press release regarding alleged 
dumping of creatine in the United States provides the basis for this 
knowledge, and that the Department has accepted similar evidence of 
knowledge in other cases. See Preliminary Determination of Critical 
Circumstances: Certain Flat-Rolled Carbon Quality Steel Products from 
Japan and the Russian Federation, 63 FR 65750, 65751 (November 30, 
1998). We find that the petitioner has alleged the elements of critical 
circumstances and supported them with reasonably available information. 
For these reasons, we will investigate this matter further and will 
make a preliminary determination based on available information at the 
appropriate time in accordance with 19 CFR 351.206. See Initiation 
Checklist.

Initiation of Antidumping Investigation

    Based on our examination of the petition, we have found that the 
petition meets the requirements of section 732 of the Act. Therefore, 
we are initiating an antidumping duty investigation to determine 
whether imports of creatine from the PRC are being, or are likely to 
be, sold in the United States at less than fair value. Unless this 
deadline is extended, we will make our preliminary determination by 
July 22, 1999.

Distribution of Copies of the Petition

    In accordance with section 732(b)(3)(A) of the Act, a copy of the 
public version of the petition has been provided to the representatives 
of the government of the PRC.

International Trade Commission Notification

    We have notified the ITC of our initiation, as required by section 
732(d) of the Act.

Preliminary Determination by the ITC

    The ITC will determine by March 29, 1999, whether there is a 
reasonable indication that an industry in the United States is 
materially injured, or is threatened with material injury by reason of 
imports of creatine from the PRC. A negative ITC determination will 
result in the investigation being terminated; otherwise, this 
investigation will proceed according to statutory and regulatory time 
limits.
    This notice is published in accordance with section 777(i) of the 
Act.

    Dated: March 4, 1999.
Robert S. LaRussa,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-5943 Filed 3-9-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P