[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 233 (Monday, December 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64099-64100]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29025]



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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-511]


ASEAN: Regional Trends in Economic Integration, Export 
Competitiveness, and Inbound Investment for Selected Industries

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of investigation and scheduling of hearing.

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SUMMARY: Following receipt on November 9, 2009, of a request from the 
United States Trade Representative (USTR) under section 332(g) of the 
Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)), the U.S. International Trade 
Commission (Commission) instituted investigation No. 332-511, ASEAN: 
Regional Trends in Economic Integration, Export Competitiveness, and 
Inbound Investment for Selected Industries.

DATES: 
    December 30, 2009: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the 
public hearing.
    January 5, 2010: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    February 3, 2010: Public hearing.
    February 10, 2010: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    March 10, 2010: Deadline for filing all other written submissions.
    August 2, 2010: Transmittal of Commission report to the USTR.

ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing 
rooms, are located in the United States International Trade Commission 
Building, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC. All written submissions 
should be addressed to the Secretary, United States International Trade 
Commission, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20436. The public record 
for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic 
docket (EDIS) at http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/edis.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project leader John Fry (202-708-4157 
or [email protected]) or deputy project leader Vincent Honnold (202-
205-3314 or [email protected]) for information specific to this 
investigation. For information on the legal aspects of this 
investigation, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of 
the General Counsel (202-205-3091 or [email protected]). The 
media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations 
(202-205-1819 or [email protected]). Hearing-impaired 
individuals may obtain information on this matter by contacting the 
Commission's TDD terminal at 202-205-1810. General information 
concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its 
Internet server (http://www.usitc.gov). Persons with mobility 
impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access to the 
Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000.
    Background: As requested by the USTR, the Commission will conduct 
an investigation and prepare a report that provides a brief overview of 
regional trends in economic integration, export competitiveness, and 
inbound investment in six industry sectors in Southeast Asia. The 
sectors are electronics, automotives, agro-based products, healthcare, 
textiles and apparel, and wood-based products. In addition, the 
Commission will identify ASEAN industries within these sectors that 
have experienced significant changes in regional economic integration, 
export competitiveness, and inbound investment in recent years and 
provide profiles of these industries in its report. To the extent 
possible, the report will include illustrative country information and 
be based on the most recent five year period for which data are 
available. As requested, each industry profile, to the extent possible, 
will include the following information:
    1. A description of the selected industry(ies) within ASEAN, 
including the industry's position relative to global competitors, as it 
relates to export competitiveness and inbound investment flows;
    2. Identification of the leading ASEAN exporting countries and 
their key markets;
    3. Identification of the leading ASEAN country recipients of 
inbound investment and source countries of that investment;
    4. Identification of pairs or groups of countries within ASEAN that 
have experienced significant integration related to industry production 
and/or marketing; and
    5. An analysis of leading competitive factors that have contributed 
to changes in industry regional integration, export competitiveness, 
and inbound investment, with a focus on how regional improvements in 
trade facilitation, logistics services, and e-commerce have contributed 
to these changes.
    The USTR requested that the Commission deliver its report no later 
than August 2, 2010.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with this 
investigation will be held at the U.S. International Trade Commission 
Building, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on 
Wednesday, February 3, 2010. Requests to appear at the public hearing 
should be filed with the Secretary no later than 5:15 p.m., December 
30, 2009, in accordance with the requirements in the ``Submissions'' 
section below. All pre-hearing briefs and statements should be filed no 
later than 5:15 p.m., January 5, 2010; and all post-hearing briefs and 
statements responding to matters raised at the hearing should be filed 
no later than 5:15 p.m., February 10, 2010. In the event that, as of 
the close of business on December 30, 2009, no witnesses are scheduled 
to appear at the hearing, the hearing will be canceled. Any person 
interested in attending the hearing as an observer or nonparticipant 
may call the Office of the Secretary (202-205-2000) after December 30, 
2009, for information concerning whether the hearing will be held.
    Written Submissions: In lieu of or in addition to participating in 
the hearing, interested parties are invited to file written submissions 
concerning this investigation. All written submissions should be 
addressed to the Secretary, and all such submissions (other than pre- 
and post-hearing briefs and statements) should be received no later 
than 5:15 p.m., March 10, 2010. All written submissions must conform 
with the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 201.8 requires that a 
signed original (or a copy so designated) and fourteen (14) copies of 
each document be filed. In the event that confidential treatment of a 
document is requested, at least four (4) additional copies must be 
filed, in which the confidential information must be deleted (see the 
following paragraph for further information regarding confidential 
business information). The Commission's rules authorize filing 
submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or electronic means only to 
the extent permitted by section 201.8 of the rules (see Handbook for 
Electronic Filing Procedures, http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/fed_reg_notices/rules/documents/handbook_on_electronic_filing.pdf). Persons 
with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Office of 
the Secretary (202-205-2000).
    Any submissions that contain confidential business information must 
also conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's 
Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.6 of the 
rules requires that the cover of the document and the individual pages 
be clearly

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marked as to whether they are the ``confidential'' or 
``nonconfidential'' version, and that the confidential business 
information be clearly identified by means of brackets. All written 
submissions, except for confidential business information, will be made 
available for inspection by interested parties.
    In its request letter, the USTR stated that it intends to make the 
Commission's report available to the public in its entirety, and asked 
that the Commission not include any confidential business information 
in the report it sends to the USTR. Any confidential business 
information received by the Commission in this investigation and used 
in preparing this report will not be published in a manner that would 
reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.

    Issued: December 1, 2009.

    By order of the Commission.
William R. Bishop,
Acting Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. E9-29025 Filed 12-4-09; 8:45 am]
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