[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 241 (Monday, December 16, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68405-68407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27128]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-428-846, A-570-093]


Refillable Stainless Steel Kegs From the Federal Republic of 
Germany and the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Orders

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

SUMMARY: Based on affirmative final determinations by the Department of 
Commerce (Commerce) and the International Trade Commission (ITC), 
Commerce is issuing antidumping duty orders on refillable stainless 
steel kegs from the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany) and the 
People's Republic of China (China).

DATES: Applicable December 16, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael A. Romani (Germany) and Thomas 
Schauer (China), AD/CVD Operations, Office I, Enforcement and 
Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 
(202) 482-0189 and (202) 482-0410, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In accordance with sections 735(a), 735(d), and 777(i)(1) of the 
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 351.210(c), on 
October 24, 2019, Commerce published its affirmative final 
determinations in the less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigations of 
refillable stainless steel kegs from Germany and China, including its 
affirmative determination of critical circumstances with respect to 
certain imports of subject merchandise from China.\1\ On December 9, 
2019, the ITC notified Commerce of its final determinations pursuant to 
section 735(b)(1)(A) of the Act that an industry in the United States 
is materially retarded by reason of the LTFV imports of refillable 
stainless steel kegs from Germany and China, and its determination that 
critical circumstances do not exist with respect to imports of subject 
merchandise from China.\2\
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    \1\ See Refillable Stainless Steel Kegs from Germany: Final 
Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 84 FR 
57008 (October 24, 2019); and Refillable Stainless Steel Kegs from 
the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Determination of 
Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final Affirmative Determination of 
Critical Circumstances, in Part, 84 FR 57010 (October 24, 2019) 
(China Final Determination).
    \2\ See Notification Letter from the ITC dated December 9, 2019.
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Scope of the Orders

    The merchandise covered by these orders are refillable stainless 
steel kegs. For a complete description of the scope of the orders, see 
the appendix to this notice.

Antidumping Duty Orders

    As stated above, on December 9, 2019, in accordance with sections 
735(b)(1)(B) and 735(d) of the Act, the ITC notified Commerce of its 
final determinations in these investigations, in which it found that 
the establishment of an industry in the United States is materially 
retarded within the meaning of section 735(b)(1)(B) by reason of 
imports of

[[Page 68406]]

refillable stainless steel kegs from Germany and China, and further 
found that critical circumstances do not exist with respect to imports 
of subject merchandise from China that are subject to Commerce's 
affirmative critical circumstances finding. Therefore, in accordance 
with section 735(c)(2) of the Act, Commerce is issuing these 
antidumping duty orders.
    Because the ITC determined that the establishment of an industry in 
the United States is materially retarded by imports of refillable 
stainless steel kegs from Germany and China that are sold at LTFV, and 
is not accompanied by a finding that injury would have resulted but for 
the imposition of suspension of liquidation of entries since Commerce's 
Preliminary Determination, section 736(b)(2) of the Act is applicable. 
Accordingly, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP) to assess, upon further instruction from Commerce, antidumping 
duties equal to the amount by which the normal value of the refillable 
stainless steel kegs from Germany or China exceed the export price (or 
constructed export price) of the merchandise for entries of refillable 
stainless steel kegs from Germany or China which are entered, or 
withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of 
publication of the ITC's final affirmative determination, under section 
735(b) of the Act.

Suspension of Liquidation

    With respect to Germany, in accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) of 
the Act, Commerce will instruct CBP to continue to suspend liquidation 
of all appropriate entries of refillable stainless steel kegs from 
Germany as described in the appendix to this notice which are entered, 
or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of 
publication of the ITC's notice of final determination in the Federal 
Register. We will also instruct CBP to require, at the same time as 
importers would normally deposit estimated customs duties on this 
merchandise, cash deposits for the subject merchandise equal to the 
estimated weighted-average antidumping margins listed below, adjusted 
for the subsidy offset, as appropriate. The all-others rate applies to 
all producers or exporters not specifically listed.
    With respect to China, in accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) of 
the Act, Commerce will instruct CBP to continue to suspend liquidation 
of all entries of refillable stainless steel kegs from China, as 
described in the appendix to this notice, with the exception of entries 
of subject merchandise that were produced by Ningbo Major Draft Beer 
Equipment Co., Ltd., and exported by Ningbo Master International Trade 
Co., Ltd. Because we determined the weighted-average dumping margin for 
such entries to be zero, we are excluding entries of subject 
merchandise that were produced by Ningbo Major Draft Beer Equipment 
Co., Ltd., and exported by Ningbo Master International Trade Co., Ltd., 
from the antidumping duty order. On the basis of the negative Final 
Determination \3\ for this producer/exporter combination, we ordered 
CBP to discontinue the suspension of liquidation and to refund all cash 
deposits collected for this producer/exporter combination. Such 
exclusion will not be applicable to merchandise exported to the United 
States by any other producer/exporter combinations or by third-country 
exporters that sourced from the excluded producer/exporter 
combination(s). Moreover, consistent with the decision of the Court of 
International Trade in Changzhou Hawd Flooring, we will not exclude 
from the antidumping duty order the separate-rate-eligible non-selected 
respondents.\4\ The China-wide entity rate applies to all exporter-
producer combinations not specifically listed below.
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    \3\ See China Final Determination.
    \4\ See Changzhou Hawd Flooring Co. v. United States, 324 F. 
Supp. 3d 1317 (CIT 2018) (Changzhou Hawd Flooring).
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    In accordance with section 736(b)(2) of the Act, Commerce will also 
direct CBP to release any bond or other security, and refund any cash 
deposit made, to secure the payment of antidumping duties with respect 
to entries of the merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for 
consumption before the date of publication of the ITC's final 
affirmative determination under section 735(b) of the Act. Further, 
Commerce will instruct CBP to terminate the suspension of liquidation 
of, and to liquidate without regard to antidumping duties, entries of 
refillable stainless steel kegs from Germany and China which are 
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption prior to the date 
of publication of the ITC's affirmative determinations under section 
735(b) of the Act.

Provisional Measures and Critical Circumstances

    Section 733(d) of the Act states that suspension of liquidation 
pursuant to an affirmative preliminary determination may not remain in 
effect for more than four months, except where exporters representing a 
significant proportion of exports of the subject merchandise request 
Commerce to extend that four-month period to no more than six months. 
At the request of exporters that account for a significant proportion 
of refillable stainless steel kegs from Germany and China, Commerce 
extended the four-month period to six months.\5\ In the underlying 
investigations, Commerce published the preliminary determinations on 
June 4, 2019. Therefore, the extended period, beginning on the date of 
publication of the Preliminary Determination, ended on November 30, 
2019. Furthermore, section 737(b) of the Act states that definitive 
duties are to begin on the date of publication of the ITC's final 
injury determination.
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    \5\ See Refillable Stainless Steel Kegs from the Federal 
Republic of Germany: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales 
at Less Than Fair Value, and Postponement of Final Determination, 84 
FR 25736, 25737 (June 4, 2019); and Refillable Stainless Steel Kegs 
from the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative 
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Preliminary 
Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, in Part, 
Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional 
Measures, 84 FR 25745, 25747 (June 4, 2019).
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    Because the ITC determined, in accordance with Section 733(d) of 
the Act, that the establishment of an industry in the United States is 
materially retarded within the meaning of section 735(b)(1)(B) of the 
Act by reason of imports of refillable stainless steel kegs from 
Germany and China sold at LTFV, and further found that critical 
circumstances do not exist with respect to imports of subject 
merchandise from China pursuant to section 735(c)(3) of the Act, 
provisional measures are inapplicable. Accordingly, Commerce will 
instruct CBP to terminate any retroactive suspension of liquidation, 
release any bond or other security, and refund any cash deposit 
required to secure the payment of antidumping duties with respect to 
entries of refillable stainless steel kegs entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption before the date of publication of the ITC's 
final affirmative determination under section 735(b) of the Act.

Estimated Weighted-Average Dumping Margins

    The weighted-average antidumping duty margin percentages and cash 
deposit rates are as follows:

Germany

[[Page 68407]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Estimated weighted-
                 Exporter/producer                     average dumping
                                                       margin (percent)
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Blefa GmbH.........................................                7.47
All Others.........................................                7.47
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China

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                                                                                               Cash deposit rate
                                                                          Estimated weighted-    (adjusted for
                 Exporter                             Producer              average dumping    subsidy offsets)
                                                                          margin (percent ad      (percent ad
                                                                               valorem)            valorem)
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Ningbo Master International Trade Co., Ltd  Ningbo Major Draft Beer                 \6\ 0.00                 N/A
                                             Equipment Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou Jingye Machinery Co., Ltd.......  Guangzhou Jingye Machinery              \7\ 0.00                 0.0
                                             Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou Ulix Industrial & Trading Co.,    Guangzhou Jingye Machinery              \8\ 0.00                 0.0
 Ltd.                                        Co., Ltd.
China-Wide Entity.........................  ............................               77.13               63.60
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Notification to Interested Parties
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    \6\ Entries of subject merchandise that were produced by Ningbo 
Major Draft Beer Equipment Co., Ltd., and exported by Ningbo Master 
International Trade Co., Ltd. are excluded from the antidumping duty 
order.
    \7\ This producer/exporter combination is based on the rate 
calculated for Ningbo Master International Trade Co., Ltd.
    \8\ Id.
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    This notice constitutes the antidumping duty order with respect to 
refillable stainless steel kegs from Germany and China pursuant to 
section 736(a) of the Act. Interested parties can find a list of 
antidumping duty orders currently in effect at http://enforcement.trade.gov/stats/iastats1.html.
    This order is issued and published in accordance with section 
736(a) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.211(b).

    Dated: December 11, 2019.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

Scope of the Orders

    The merchandise covered by the orders are kegs, vessels, or 
containers with bodies that are approximately cylindrical in shape, 
made from stainless steel (i.e., steel containing at least 10.5 
percent chromium by weight and less than 1.2 percent carbon by 
weight, with or without other elements), and that are compatible 
with a ``D Sankey'' extractor (refillable stainless steel kegs) with 
a nominal liquid volume capacity of 10 liters or more, regardless of 
the type of finish, gauge, thickness, or grade of stainless steel, 
and whether or not covered by or encased in other materials. 
Refillable stainless steel kegs may be imported assembled or 
unassembled, with or without all components (including spears, 
couplers or taps, necks, collars, and valves), and be filled or 
unfilled.
    ``Unassembled'' or ``unfinished'' refillable stainless steel 
kegs include drawn stainless steel cylinders that have been welded 
to form the body of the keg and attached to an upper (top) chime 
and/or lower (bottom) chime. Unassembled refillable stainless steel 
kegs may or may not be welded to a neck, may or may not have a valve 
assembly attached, and may be otherwise complete except for testing, 
certification, and/or marking.
    Subject merchandise also includes refillable stainless steel 
kegs that have been further processed in a third country, including 
but not limited to, attachment of necks, collars, spears or valves, 
heat treatment, pickling, passivation, painting, testing, 
certification or any other processing that would not otherwise 
remove the merchandise from the scope of the orders if performed in 
the country of manufacture of the in-scope refillable stainless 
steel keg.
    Specifically excluded are the following:
    (1) Vessels or containers that are not approximately cylindrical 
in nature (e.g., box, ``hopper'' or ``cone'' shaped vessels);
    (2) stainless steel kegs, vessels, or containers that have 
either a ``ball lock'' valve system or a ``pin lock'' valve system 
(commonly known as ``Cornelius,'' ``corny'' or ``ball lock'' kegs);
    (3) necks, spears, couplers or taps, collars, and valves that 
are not imported with the subject merchandise; and
    (4) stainless steel kegs that are filled with beer, wine, or 
other liquid and that are designated by the Commissioner of Customs 
as Instruments of International Traffic within the meaning of 
section 332(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.
    The merchandise covered by the orders are currently classified 
in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under 
subheadings 7310.10.0010, 7310.10.0050, 7310.29.0025, and 
7310.29.0050.
    These HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs 
purposes; the written description of the scope of the orders is 
dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2019-27128 Filed 12-13-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P