[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 62 (Thursday, April 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16428-16431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7395]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-552-805]


Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Department) has determined that 
countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters 
of polyethylene retail carrier bags (PRCBs) from the Socialist Republic 
of Vietnam (Vietnam). For information on the estimated countervailing 
duty rates, please see the ``Suspension of Liquidation'' section, 
below.

DATES: Effective Date: April 1, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene Calvert or Jun Jack Zhao, AD/CVD 
Operations, Office 6, Import Administration, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and 
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
3586 and (202) 482-1396, respectively.

Case History

    The following events have occurred since the announcement of the 
preliminary determination, which was published in the Federal Register 
on September 4, 2009. See Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from the 
Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing 
Duty Determination and Alignment of Final Countervailing Duty 
Determination with

[[Page 16429]]

Final Antidumping Duty Determination, 74 FR 45811 (September 4, 2009) 
(Preliminary Determination).
    The Department issued a second supplemental questionnaire to the 
government of Vietnam (GOV), Advance Polybag Co., Ltd. (API), Chin 
Sheng Company, Ltd. (Chin Sheng), and Fotai Vietnam Enterprise 
Corporation and Fotai Enterprise Corporation (collectively, Fotai). The 
Department received responses to these questionnaires on October 7, 
2009 from API, on October 14 from Chin Sheng and the GOV, and on 
October 16 from Fotai. A third supplemental questionnaire was 
subsequently issued to the GOV only. The GOV submitted a response on 
October 26. Public versions of the questionnaires and responses, as 
well as the various memoranda cited below, are available at the 
Department's Central Records Unit (Room 1117 in the HCHB Building) 
(hereafter referred to as ``CRU''). Also on October 26, new factual 
information was submitted by Hilex Poly Co., LLC and Suberbag 
Corporation (collectively, Petitioners), the GOV, and Fotai. On October 
21, 2009, the Department was informed by API that it was no longer 
participating in the investigation. See the October 21, 2009 Letter to 
the Secretary of Commerce, ``Countervailing Duty Investigation 
Involving Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from Vietnam.''
    From November 2 through November 18, 2009, we conducted 
verification of the questionnaire responses submitted by the GOV, Chin 
Sheng and Fotai. We issued verification reports on January 4, 2010. See 
Memorandum to the File, ``Verification of the Questionnaire Responses 
Submitted by the Government of Vietnam,'' and Memoranda to Mark 
Hoadley, Program Manager, AD/CVD Operations, Office 6, ``Verification 
of the Questionnaire Responses Submitted by Chin Sheng Company, Ltd.,'' 
and ``Verification of the Questionnaire Responses Submitted by Fotai 
Vietnam Enterprise Corporation.'' On January 11, 2010, we issued a 
report regarding discussions held with third party experts concerning 
banking in Vietnam. See Memorandum to Barbara E. Tillman, Director, AD/
CVD Operations, Office 6, ``Private Experts Meeting on Vietnam's 
Banking Sector.''
    We received case briefs from Petitioners, the GOV, Chin Sheng and 
Fotai on January 25, 2010, and rebuttal briefs from Petitioners, the 
GOV, and Fotai on February 1, 2010. On January 27, 2010, Petitioners 
withdrew their request for a hearing, submitted on October 5, 2009.
    On February 12, 2010, the Department exercised its discretion to 
toll Import Administration deadlines for the duration of the closure of 
the Federal Government from February 5 through February 12, 2010. Thus, 
all deadlines in this segment of the proceeding were extended by seven 
days. See Memorandum to the Record from Ronald Lorentzen, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, regarding ``Tolling of 
Administrative Deadlines As a Result of the Government Closure During 
the Recent Snowstorm,'' dated February 12, 2010.'' Based on this 
memorandum, the deadline for this final determination was changed from 
March 18, 2010 to March 25, 2010.

Scope of the Investigation

    The scope of this investigation covers polyethylene retail carrier 
bags, which also may be referred to as t-shirt sacks, merchandise bags, 
grocery bags, or checkout bags. The subject merchandise is defined as 
non-sealable sacks and bags with handles (including drawstrings), 
without zippers or integral extruded closures, with or without gussets, 
with or without printing, of polyethylene film having a thickness no 
greater than 0.035 inch (0.889 mm) and no less than 0.00035 inch 
(0.00889 mm), and with no length or width shorter than 6 inches (15.24 
cm) or longer than 40 inches (101.6 cm). The depth of the bag may be 
shorter than 6 inches but not longer than 40 inches (101.6 cm).
    PRCBs are typically provided without any consumer packaging and 
free of charge by retail establishments, e.g., grocery, drug, 
convenience, department, specialty retail, discount stores, and 
restaurants to their customers to package and carry their purchased 
products. The scope of this investigation excludes (1) polyethylene 
bags that are not printed with logos or store names and that are 
closeable with drawstrings made of polyethylene film and (2) 
polyethylene bags that are packed in consumer packaging with printing 
that refers to specific end-uses other than packaging and carrying 
merchandise from retail establishments, e.g., garbage bags, lawn bags, 
trash-can liners.
    Imports of merchandise included within the scope of this 
investigation are currently classifiable under statistical category 
3923.21.0085 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTSUS). This subheading may also cover products that are outside the 
scope of this investigation. Furthermore, although the HTSUS subheading 
is provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written 
description of the scope of this investigation is dispositive.

Injury Test

    Because Vietnam is a ``Subsidies Agreement Country'' within the 
meaning of section 701(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the 
Act), the International Trade Commission (ITC) is required to determine 
pursuant to section 701(a)(2) of the Act whether imports of the subject 
merchandise from Vietnam materially injure, or threaten material injury 
to, a United States industry. On May 29, 2009, the ITC published its 
preliminary determination that there is a reasonable indication that an 
industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of 
allegedly subsidized imports from Vietnam of subject merchandise. See 
Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; 
Determinations, 74 FR 25771 (May 29, 2009); and Polyethylene Retail 
Carrier Bags From Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam (Preliminary), USITC 
Pub. 4080, Inv. Nos. 701-TA-462 and 731-TA-1156-1158 (May 2009).

Period of Investigation

    The period for which we are measuring subsidies, i.e., the period 
of investigation (POI), is January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008.

Analysis of Comments Received

    All issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs submitted by 
Petitioners, the GOC, Chin Sheng and Fotai are addressed in the 
Memorandum to Ronald K. Lorentzen, Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Import Administration, ``Issues and Decision Memorandum for the Final 
Determination in the Countervailing Duty Investigation of Polyethylene 
Retail Carrier Bags from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam'' (March 25, 
2010) (hereafter referred to as the ``Decision Memorandum''), which is 
hereby adopted by this notice. Attached to this notice as an Appendix 
is a list of the issues that parties have raised and to which we have 
responded in the Decision Memorandum. Parties can find this public 
memorandum in the Department's CRU. In addition, a complete version of 
the Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly on the internet at 
http://ia.ita.doc.gov/ia-highlights-and-news.html or http://ia.ita.doc.gov/frn/. The paper copy and electronic version of the 
Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

Application of Adverse Facts Available

    For purposes of this final determination, we relied on adverse 
facts available (AFA) in accordance with sections 776(a) and (b) of the 
Act to determine the total countervailable subsidy rate for API. We 
also relied on

[[Page 16430]]

AFA to determine the countervailable subsidy rate for Fotai for one of 
the programs under investigation. A full discussion of our decision to 
apply AFA is presented in the Decision Memorandum in the section 
``Application of Facts Otherwise Available and AFA to API and Fotai.''

Suspension of Liquidation

    In accordance with section 705(c)(1)(B)(i)(I) of the Act, we have 
calculated an individual rate for Chin Sheng and Fotai, and assigned an 
AFA rate to API. Section 705(c)(5)(A)(i) of the Act states that for 
companies not investigated, we will determine an all others rate equal 
to the weighted average countervailable subsidy rates established for 
exporters and producers individually investigated, excluding any zero 
and de minimis countervailable subsidy rates, and any rates based 
entirely on AFA under section 776 of the Act. Since API's rate is based 
entirely on AFA and since Chin Sheng's rate is de minimis, the all 
others rate is the rate calculated for Fotai.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Net Subsidy
                    Producer/Exporter                          Rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advance Polybag Co., Ltd................................   52.56[percnt]
Chin Sheng Company, Ltd.................................    0.44[percnt]
                                                            (de minimis)
Fotai Vietnam Enterprise Corp. And Fotai Enterprise         5.28[percnt]
 Corporation............................................
All Others..............................................    5.28[percnt]
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Although suspension of liquidation was required on the date of 
publication of the Preliminary Determination, we subsequently 
instructed U.S. Customs and Border Protection, pursuant to section 
703(d) of the Act, to discontinue the suspension of liquidation for 
countervailing duty purposes for subject merchandise entered on or 
after January 2, 2010, but to continue the suspension of liquidation of 
entries made on or after September 4, 2009 through January 1, 2010.
    If the ITC issues a final affirmative injury determination, we will 
issue a countervailing duty order and reinstate the suspension of 
liquidation under section 706(a) of the Act. We will then require a 
cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties for entries of subject 
merchandise in the amounts indicated above, except for Chin Sheng, 
which would be excluded from an order because it has a de minimis rate. 
This exclusion will apply only to subject merchandise both produced and 
exported by Chin Sheng. If the ITC determines that material injury, or 
threat of material injury, does not exist, this proceeding will be 
terminated and all estimated duties deposited or securities posted as a 
result of the suspension of liquidation will be refunded or canceled.

ITC Notification

    In accordance with section 705(d) of the Act, we will notify the 
ITC of our determination. In addition, we are making available to the 
ITC all non-privileged and non-proprietary information related to this 
investigation. We will allow the ITC access to all privileged and 
business proprietary information in our files, provided the ITC 
confirms that it will not disclose such information, either publicly or 
under an Administrative Protective Order (APO), without the written 
consent of the Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

Return or Destruction of Proprietary Information

    In the event that the ITC issues a final negative injury 
determination, this notice will serve as the only reminder to parties 
subject to an APO of their responsibility concerning the destruction of 
proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.305(a)(3). Timely written notification of the return/destruction of 
APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby 
requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO 
is a violation which is subject to sanction.
    This determination is issued and published pursuant to sections 
705(d) and 777(i) of the Act.

    Dated: March 25, 2010.
Ronald K. Lorentzen,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

Appendix

Issues and Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Background

III. Applicability of the CVD Law to Vietnam

IV. Subsidies Valuation

    A. Period of Investigation
    B. Date of Applicability of CVD Law to Vietnam
    C. Allocation Period
    D. Loan Benchmark and Discount Rates
    E. Attribution of Subsidies - Sales Denominator

V. Application of Facts Otherwise Available and AFA for API and Fotai

    A. API
    B. Fotai
    C. Corroboration

VI. Analysis of Programs

    A. Programs Determined To Be Countervailable
    1. Income Tax Preferences for Encouraged Industries
    2. Income Tax Preferences for FIEs
    3. Land Rent Reduction or Exemption for Exporters
    4. Import Duty Exemptions for Imported Raw Materials for Exported 
Goods
    5. Exemption of Import Duties on Imports of Spare Parts and 
Accessories for Industrial Zone Enterprises
    B. Programs Determined To Be Not Countervailable
    VAT Exemptions for Equipment for FIEs
    C. Programs Determined To Be Terminated
    Export Bonus Program
    D. Programs Determined To Have Been Not Used During the Period of 
Investigation
    1. Government Provision of Water for LTAR in Industrial Zones
    2. Preferential Lending for Exporters
    3. Preferential Lending for the Plastics Industry
    4. Export Promotion Program
    5. New Product Development Program
    6. Income Tax Preferences for Exporters
    7. Income Tax Preferences for FIEs Operating in Encouraged 
Industries
    8. Import Tax Exemptions for FIEs Using Imported Goods to Create 
Fixed Assets
    9. Exemption of Import Duties on Importation of Fixed Assets for 
Industrial Zone Enterprises
    10. Import Tax Exemptions for FIEs Importing Raw Materials
    11. Land Rent Exemption for Manufacturers of Plastic Products
    12. Provision of Land Use Rights in Industrial Zones for LTAR
    13. Land Rent Reduction or Exemption for FIEs
    14. Exemption of Import Duties for Imported Raw Materials for 
Industrial Zone Enterprises
    15. Accelerated Depreciation for Companies in Encouraged Industries 
and Industrial Zones
    16. Losses Carried Forward for Companies in Encouraged Industries 
and Industrial Zones

VII. Analysis of Comments

Comment 1: Simultaneous Imposition of CVD and AD Duties on an NME
Comment 2: The Appropriate De Minimis Rate
Comment 3: Cutoff Date for Countervailing Duties

[[Page 16431]]

Comment 4: Preferential Lending for the Plastics Industry
Comment 5: Chin Sheng's Policy Lending Rate Should Be Recalculated 
Using the Data Collected at Verification
Comment 6: Fotai's Short-Term Loan Data Were Not Verified
Comment 7: Proper Benchmark for Preferential Lending
Comment 8: The Provision of Land at LTAR
Comment 9: The Proper Benchmark for the Provision of Land at LTAR
Comment 10: Duty Exemptions on Imports of Raw Materials Provided to 
Fotai
Comment 11: Chin Sheng's Sales Denominator
Comment 12: Income Tax Programs and Programs Not Used
Comment 13: Application of AFA to API

VIII. Recommendation

[FR Doc. 2010-7395 Filed 3-31-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-S