[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 85 (Monday, May 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24132-24133]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-10053]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


International Trade Administration
ï¿½MDBUï¿½*ERR01*ï¿½MDNMï¿½
U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and 
Trade Working Group on Structural Issues

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

ACTION: Notice of hearing and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The governments of the United States and China have agreed to 
establish a working group to discuss a range of issues relevant to 
China's aspiration to be recognized as a market economy for purposes of 
the U.S. antidumping law. These issues pertain to characteristics of 
the Chinese economy that appear to be inconsistent with the normal 
experience of a market economy, as well as Chinese government policies 
and practices that have the potential to distort the market and U.S.-
China trade. The Department is therefore requesting public comment, in 
advance of a public hearing that will be held on June 3, 2004, for the 
purpose of identifying relevant topics and issues for discussion in the 
working group.

DATES: Comments (including any written notification of intent to 
testify) must be submitted by May 19, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Written comments (original and six copies) should be sent to 
James J. Jochum, Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, Central Records Unit, Room 1870, Pennsylvania 
Avenue and 14th Street NW., Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Albert Hsu, Senior Economist, or 
Michael Rollin, Acting Director for Trade Remedy Compliance, Office of 
Policy, Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington DC, 20230, 202-482-4491 or 
202-482-3415.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the April 21, 2004 meeting of the U.S.-
China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, representatives of the 
governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China 
agreed to establish a working group to hold a dialogue on the range of 
issues that are relevant to considering China's desire to

[[Page 24133]]

no longer be treated as a non-market economy country (``NME'') under 
U.S. antidumping law. Among the more specific issues that would be 
taken up under this agenda would be structural characteristics of the 
Chinese economy that appear to be inconsistent with the normal 
experience of a market economy, as well as Chinese government policies 
and practices which have the potential to distort the market and U.S.-
China trade. Examples of the types of structural issues envisioned for 
these discussions include China's banking sector and state-owned 
enterprises, as well as central, provincial, and regional governmental 
policies such as tax incentives and other export promotion instruments. 
The Department is requesting public comment in advance of a public 
hearing that will be held on June 3, 2004, for the purpose of 
identifying relevant topics and issues for discussion in the working 
group. We encourage parties to limit their comments to factual 
information that supports the issue or topic raised.
    Persons wishing to comment should file a signed original and six 
copies of each set of comments by May 19, 2004. Comments should be 
limited to twenty pages. The Department will consider all comments 
received before the close of the comment period. Comments received 
after the end of the comment period will not be considered. The 
Department will not accept comments accompanied by a request that a 
part or all of the material be treated confidentially because of its 
business proprietary nature or for any other reason. The Department 
will return such comments and materials to the persons submitting the 
comments and will not consider them. All comments responding to this 
notice will be a matter of public record and will be available for 
public inspection and copying at Import Administration's Central 
Records Unit, Room B-099, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on 
business days. The Department requires that comments be submitted in 
written form, but also recommends submission of comments in electronic 
form to accompany the required paper copies. Comments filed in 
electronic form should be submitted either by e-mail to the webmaster 
below, or on CD-ROM, as comments submitted on diskettes are likely to 
be damaged by postal radiation treatment. Comments received in 
electronic form will be made available to the public in Portable 
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the import administration web 
site at the following address: http://ia.ita.doc.gov/. Any questions 
concerning file formatting, document conversion, access on the 
Internet, or other electronic filing issues should be addressed to 
Andrew Lee Beller, Import Administration Webmaster, at (202) 482-0866, 
email address: [email protected].
    The public hearing on June 3, 2004, will be begin at 9 a.m. in the 
auditorium at the Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution 
Ave, NW., Washington, DC 20230. Individual hearing presentations will 
be limited to five minutes, to allow for possible questions from the 
Chair and the panel. Additional time for oral presentations may be 
granted as time and the number of participants permit. Parties wishing 
to testify orally at the hearing must provide written comments (subject 
to the requirements described above) on which their testimony will be 
based, and must include with their comments a written notification of 
their intent to testify.
    All comments and submissions (including written notification of 
intent to testify) should be mailed to James J. Jochum, Assistant 
Secretary for Import Administration; Subject: Public Hearings on U.S.-
China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade Working Group on 
Structural Issues; Room 1870, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC, by no later than 5 p.m., 
May 19, 2004. The notification should include (1) the name of the 
person presenting the testimony, their address and telephone number; 
(2) the organization or company they are representing, if appropriate; 
and (3) if applicable, any request for an extension of the time 
limitation on the oral presentation. In addition, please send a copy of 
this notification via facsimile to Lawrence Norton and Anthony Hill at 
(202) 482-501-1377.

    Dated: April 28, 2004.
James J. Jochum,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-10053 Filed 4-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P