[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39056-39058]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16897]



[[Page 39056]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-073]


Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet From the People's Republic of China: 
Amended Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than 
Fair Value

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is amending the 
preliminary determination of the less-than-fair-value (LTFV) 
investigation of common alloy aluminum sheet (aluminum sheet) from the 
People's Republic of China (China) to correct a significant ministerial 
error.

DATES: Applicable August 8, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deborah Scott or Scott Hoefke, AD/CVD 
Operations, Office VI, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-2657 or (202) 482-4947, 
respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On June 22, 2018, Commerce published in the Federal Register the 
Preliminary Determination,\1\ and completed the disclosure of all 
calculation materials to interested parties. On June 26, 2018, Henan 
Mingtai Al Industrial Co., Ltd. and Zhengzhou Mingtai Industry Co., 
Ltd. (collectively, Mingtai), timely filed a ministerial error 
allegation regarding the Preliminary Determination.\2\ Commerce did not 
receive ministerial error allegations or comments from any other 
interested party.
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    \1\ See Antidumping Duty Investigation of Common Alloy Aluminum 
Sheet from the People's Republic of China: Affirmative Preliminary 
Determination of Sales at Less-Than-Fair Value, Preliminary 
Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, and 
Postponement of Final Determination, 83 FR 29088 (June 22, 2018) 
(Preliminary Determination).
    \2\ See Letter from Mingtai, ``Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet from 
the People's Republic of China--Ministerial Error Allegation,'' 
dated June 26, 2018.
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Period of Investigation

    The period of investigation is April 1, 2017 through September 30, 
2017.

Scope of the Investigation

    The product covered by this investigation is aluminum sheet from 
China. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, 
see the Appendix to this notice.

Analysis of Significant Ministerial Error Allegation

    Commerce will analyze any comments received and, if appropriate, 
correct any significant ministerial error by amending the preliminary 
determination according to 19 CFR 351.224(e). A ministerial error is 
defined in 19 CFR 351.224(f) as ``an error in addition, subtraction, or 
other arithmetic function, clerical error resulting from inaccurate 
copying, duplication, or the like, and any other similar type of 
unintentional error which the Secretary considers ministerial.'' \3\ A 
significant ministerial error is defined as a ministerial error, the 
correction of which, singly or in combination with other errors, would 
result in: (1) A change of at least five absolute percentage points in, 
but not less than 25 percent of, the antidumping duty rate calculated 
in the original preliminary determination; or (2) a difference between 
an antidumping duty rate of zero or de minimis and an antidumping duty 
rate of greater than de minimis or vice versa.\4\
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    \3\ See also section 735(e) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 
amended (the Act).
    \4\ See 19 CFR 351.224(g).
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Amended Preliminary Determination

    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.224(e) and (g)(1), Commerce is amending the 
Preliminary Determination to reflect the correction of one ministerial 
error made in the calculation of the estimated weighted-average dumping 
margin for Mingtai.\5\ This error is a significant ministerial error 
within the meaning of 19 CFR 351.224(g) because Mingtai's margin 
decreases from 167.16 percent to 91.47 percent as a result of 
correcting this ministerial error, exceeding the specified threshold, 
i.e., a change of at least five absolute percentage points in, but not 
less than 25 percent of, the antidumping duty rate calculated in the 
original preliminary determination.\6\
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    \5\ See Memorandum, ``Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation of 
Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet from the People's Republic of China: 
Allegation of Ministerial Error in the Preliminary Determination,'' 
dated concurrently with this notice (Ministerial Error Memorandum).
    \6\ See Memorandum, ``Analysis for the Amended Preliminary 
Determination of the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation of Common 
Alloy Aluminum Sheet from the People's Republic of China for Henan 
Mingtai Al Industrial Co., Ltd. and Zhengzhou Mingtai Industry Co., 
Ltd.,'' dated concurrently with this notice.
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    Mingtai is the only mandatory respondent for which Commerce 
calculated a weighted-average dumping margin in the Preliminary 
Determination. For this reason, we assigned Mingtai's calculated rate 
to the non-examined respondents that preliminarily received a separate 
rate.\7\ Accordingly, as part of this amended preliminary 
determination, Commerce will amend the estimated weighted-average 
dumping margin to 91.47 percent for each non-examined respondent that 
preliminarily received a separate rate.
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    \7\ See Preliminary Determination, 83 FR at 29090.
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    In the Preliminary Determination, we found that Nanjie Resources 
Co., Limited, Yong Jie New Material Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang Yongjie 
Aluminum Co., Ltd. (collectively, the Yongjie Companies), Zhejiang GKO 
Aluminium Stock Co., Ltd. (GKO Aluminium), and the China-wide entity 
failed to cooperate by not acting to the best of their ability to 
comply with requests for information and, thus, found that an adverse 
inference was warranted in selecting from the facts otherwise 
available.\8\ In an investigation, Commerce's practice with respect to 
the assignment of a rate based on adverse facts available is to select 
the higher of: (1) The highest dumping margin alleged in the petition 
or (2) the highest calculated dumping margin of any respondent in the 
investigation.\9\ In the Preliminary Determination, because the highest 
margin in the initiation of this investigation (i.e., 59.72 percent) 
was less than the 167.16 percent margin calculated for Mingtai, we 
assigned the 167.16 percent rate to the Yongjie Companies, GKO 
Aluminium, and the China-wide entity as adverse facts available.\10\ 
For this amended preliminary determination, we examined whether the 
highest margin in the initiation of the investigation (i.e., 59.72 
percent) was less than or equal to the highest calculated margin, and 
determined that the highest calculated margin of 91.47 percent was the 
higher of the two. Because this rate is a calculated rate based on a 
mandatory respondent's data in this segment of the proceeding, it does 
not constitute secondary information and, therefore, it does not need 
to be corroborated. Therefore, for this amended preliminary 
determination, as facts available based on an adverse inference, we 
have assigned to the Yongjie Companies,

[[Page 39057]]

GKO Aluminium, and the China-wide entity a dumping margin of 91.47 
percent, which is the highest calculated rate in this proceeding.
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    \8\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary 
Determination in the Antidumping Duty Investigation of Common Alloy 
Aluminum Sheet from the People's Republic of China,'' dated June 15, 
2018 (Preliminary Decision Memorandum), at 20-26.
    \9\ See, e.g., Certain Uncoated Paper from Indonesia: Final 
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 81 FR 3101 (January 
20, 2016).
    \10\ See Preliminary Decision Memorandum, at 26.
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Amended Cash Deposits and Suspension of Liquidation

    The collection of cash deposits and suspension of liquidation will 
be revised according to the rates calculated in this amended 
preliminary determination. Because these amended rates result in 
reduced cash deposits, the amended rate for Mingtai will be effective 
retroactively to June 22, 2018, the date of publication of the 
Preliminary Determination. As Commerce preliminarily found that 
critical circumstances exist for imports of subject merchandise from 
the non-examined respondents that preliminarily received a separate 
rate, the Yongjie Companies, GKO Aluminium, and the China-wide 
entity,\11\ the amended rates for these entities will be effective 
retroactively to March 24, 2018, i.e., 90 days before the publication 
of the Preliminary Determination. Parties will be notified of this 
determination, in accordance with section 733(d) and (f) of the Act.
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    \11\ See Preliminary Determination, 83 FR at 29089 and 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum, at 4-7.
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Amended Preliminary Determination

    Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated 
weighted-average antidumping duty margins exist:

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                                                                                     Weighted-     Cash deposit
                                                                                      average      adjusted for
                  Exporter                                 Producer                   margin      subsidy offset
                                                                                     (percent)       (percent)
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Henan Mingtai Al Industrial Co., Ltd./       Henan Mingtai Al Industrial Co.,              91.47           91.47
 Zhengzhou Mingtai Industry Co., Ltd.\12\.    Ltd./Zhengzhou Mingtai Industry
                                              Co., Ltd.
Alcha International Holdings Limited.......  Jiangsu Alcha Aluminium Co., Ltd...           91.47           91.47
Alumax Composite Material (Jiangyin) Co.,    Chalco Ruimin Co., Ltd.............           91.47           91.47
 Ltd.
Granges Aluminum (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.......  Granges Aluminum (Shanghai) Co.,              91.47           91.47
                                              Ltd.
Henan Founder Beyond Industry Co., Ltd.....  Henan Xintai Aluminum Industry Co.,           91.47           91.47
                                              Ltd.
Huafon Nikkei Aluminium Corporation........  Huafon Nikkei Aluminium Corporation           91.47           91.47
Jiangsu Lidao New Material Co., Ltd........  Henan Jinyang Luyue Co., Ltd.......           91.47           91.47
Jiangsu Lidao New Material Co., Ltd........  Jiangsu Zhong He Aluminum Co., Ltd.           91.47           91.47
Jiangyin Litai Ornamental Materials Co.,     Jiangyin Litai Ornamental Materials           91.47           91.47
 Ltd.                                         Co., Ltd.
Jiangyin New Alumax Composite Material Co.   Chalco Ruimin Co., Ltd.............           91.47           91.47
 Ltd.
Shandong Fuhai Industrial Co., Ltd.........  Shandong Fuhai Industrial Co., Ltd.           91.47           91.47
Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium Co., Ltd.......  Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium Co.,              91.47           91.47
                                              Ltd.
Xiamen Xiashun Aluminum Foil Co., Ltd......  Xiamen Xiashun Aluminum Foil Co.,             91.47           91.47
                                              Ltd.
Yantai Jintai International Trade Co., Ltd.  Shandong Nanshan...................           91.47           91.47
                                             Aluminium Co., Ltd.................
Yinbang Clad Material Co., Ltd.............  Yinbang Clad Material Co., Ltd.....           91.47           91.47
Zhengzhou Silverstone Limited..............  Henan Zhongyuan Aluminum Co., Ltd..           91.47           91.47
Zhengzhou Silverstone Limited..............  Luoyang Xinlong Aluminum Co., Ltd..           91.47           91.47
Zhengzhou Silverstone Limited..............  Shanghai Dongshuo Metal Trade Co.,            91.47           91.47
                                              Ltd.
Zhengzhou Silverstone Limited..............  Zhengzhou Mingtai Industry Co., Ltd           91.47           91.47
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                                China-Wide Entity                                          91.47           91.47
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Disclosure

    We intend to disclose the calculations performed to parties in this 
proceeding within five days after public announcement of the amended 
preliminary determination, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224.
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    \12\ We preliminarily determined that Henan Mingtai Al 
Industrial Co., Ltd. and Zhengzhou Mingtai Industry Co., Ltd. are a 
single entity. See Preliminary Decision Memorandum, at 17-19; see 
also Memorandum, ``Preliminary Affiliation and Collapsing Memorandum 
for Henan Mingtai Al Industrial Co., Ltd. and Zhengzhou Mingtai 
Industry Co., Ltd.,'' dated June 15, 2018.
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International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, we will notify the 
International Trade Commission of our amended preliminary 
determination.
    This amended preliminary determination is issued and published 
pursuant to sections 733(f) and 777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.224(e).

    Dated: July 31, 2018.
Gary Taverman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Operations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the 
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

Scope of the Investigation

    The merchandise covered by this investigation is aluminum common 
alloy sheet (common alloy sheet), which is a flat-rolled aluminum 
product having a thickness of 6.3 mm or less, but greater than 0.2 
mm, in coils or cut-to-length, regardless of width. Common alloy 
sheet within the scope of this investigation includes both not clad 
aluminum sheet, as well as multi-alloy, clad aluminum sheet. With 
respect to not clad aluminum sheet, common alloy sheet is 
manufactured from a 1XXX-, 3XXX-, or 5XXX-series alloy as designated 
by the Aluminum Association. With respect to multi-alloy, clad 
aluminum sheet, common alloy sheet is produced from a 3XXX-series 
core, to which cladding layers are applied to either one or both 
sides of the core.
    Common alloy sheet may be made to ASTM specification B209-14, 
but can also be made to other specifications. Regardless of 
specification, however, all common alloy sheet meeting the scope 
description is included in the scope. Subject merchandise includes 
common alloy sheet that has been further processed in a third 
country, including but not limited to annealing, tempering, 
painting, varnishing, trimming, cutting, punching, and/or slitting, 
or any otherprocessing that would not otherwise remove the 
merchandise from the scope of the investigation if performed in the 
country of manufacture of the common alloy sheet.
    Excluded from the scope of this investigation is aluminum can 
stock, which is suitable for use in the manufacture of aluminum 
beverage cans, lids of such cans, or tabs used to open such cans. 
Aluminum can stock is produced to gauges that range from 0.200 mm to 
0.292 mm, and has anH-19, H-41, H-48, or H-391 temper. In

[[Page 39058]]

addition, aluminum can stock has a lubricant applied to the flat 
surfaces of the can stock to facilitate its movement through 
machines used in the manufacture of beverage cans. Aluminum can 
stock is properly classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 
United States (HTSUS) subheadings 7606.12.3045 and 7606.12.3055.
    Where the nominal and actual measurements vary, a product is 
within the scope if application of either the nominal or actual 
measurement would place it within the scope based on the definitions 
set for the above.
    Common alloy sheet is currently classifiable under HTSUS 
subheadings 7606.11.3060, 7606.11.6000, 7606.12.3090, 7606.12.6000, 
7606.91.3090, 7606.91.6080, 7606.92.3090, and 7606.92.6080. Further, 
merchandise that falls within the scope of this investigation may 
also be entered into the United States under HTSUS subheadings 
7606.11.3030, 7606.12.3030, 7606.91.3060, 7606.91.6040, 
7606.92.3060, 7606.92.6040, 7607.11.9090. Although the HTSUS 
subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the 
written description of the scope of this investigation is 
dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2018-16897 Filed 8-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P