[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 110 (Thursday, June 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48377-48379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12349]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-937]


Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts From the People's Republic 
of China: Preliminary Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative 
Review; 2022-2023

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily 
determines that RZBC Group Co., Ltd., RZBC Co., Ltd., RZBC Import & 
Export Co., Ltd., and RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd. (collectively, RZBC) did 
not make sales of citric acid and certain citrate salts (citric acid) 
from the People's Republic of China (China) at less than normal value 
during the period of review (POR) May 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023. 
Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results 
of review.

DATES: Applicable June 6, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maisha Cryor, AD/CVD Operations, 
Office IV, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-5831.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On May 29, 2009, Commerce published in the Federal Register the 
antidumping duty order on citric acid from China.\1\ On May 2, 2023, 
Commerce published in the Federal Register a notice of opportunity to 
request an administrative review of the Order.\2\ On July 12, 2023, 
based on a timely request for an administrative review, Commerce 
initiated the administrative review of the Order.\3\ The administrative 
review covers a single mandatory respondent, RZBC.\4\
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    \1\ See Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts from Canada and 
the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Orders, 74 FR 25703 
(May 29, 2009) (Order).
    \2\ See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or 
Suspended Investigation; Opportunity to Request Administrative 
Review and Join Annual Inquiry Service List, 88 FR 27445 (May 2, 
2023).
    \3\ See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Reviews, 88 FR 44262 (July 12, 2023) (Initiation 
Notice).
    \4\ See Memorandum, ``Respondent Selection,'' dated July 28, 
2023.
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    On January 4, 2024, Commerce extended the deadline for these 
preliminary results until May 30, 2024.\5\ For a complete description 
of the events that occurred since the initiation of this review, see 
the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.\6\ The Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via 
Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to 
registered users at https://access.trade.gov. A list of topics 
discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included in an 
appendix to this notice. In addition, a complete version of the 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be found at https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.
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    \5\ See Memorandum, ``Extension of Deadline for Preliminary 
Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review,'' dated January 
4, 2024.
    \6\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for Preliminary 
Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review of Citric Acid 
and Certain Citrate Salts from the People's Republic of China; 2022-
2023,'' dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice 
(Preliminary Decision Memorandum).

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[[Page 48378]]

Scope of the Order

    The product covered by this Order is citric acid from China. A full 
description of the scope of the Order is contained in the Preliminary 
Decision Memorandum.\7\
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    \7\ Id.
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China-Wide Entity

    Commerce's policy regarding the conditional review of the China-
wide entity applies to this administrative review.\8\ Under this 
policy, the China-wide entity will not be under review unless a party 
specifically requests, or Commerce self-initiates, a review of the 
entity. Because no party requested a review of the China-wide entity in 
this review, the entity is not under review, and the entity's 
assessment rate (i.e., 156.87 percent) is not subject to change.\9\
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    \8\ See Antidumping Proceedings: Announcement of Change in 
Department Practice for Respondent Selection in Antidumping Duty 
Proceedings and Conditional Review of the Nonmarket Economy Entity 
in NME Antidumping Duty Proceedings, 78 FR 65963 (November 4, 2013).
    \9\ See Order.
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Methodology

    Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 
751(a)(1)(B) Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). For a full 
description of the methodology underlying our conclusions, see the 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Preliminary Results of the Administrative Review

    Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated 
weighted-average dumping margin exists for the administrative review 
covering the period May 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Weighted-average
                     Exporter                          dumping margin
                                                          (percent)
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RZBC Group Co., Ltd., RZBC Co., Ltd., RZBC Import                  0.00
 & Export Co., Ltd., and RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd...
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Disclosure and Public Comment

    Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis 
performed to interested parties for these preliminary results within 
five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public 
announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this 
notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).\10\
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    \10\ See 19 CFR 351.224(b)
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    As stated below, Commerce intends to verify the information upon 
which it will rely in making its final determination. Interested 
parties may submit case briefs within seven days after issuance of the 
verification report. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the 
case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for 
filing case briefs.\11\ Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(d)(2), rebuttal 
briefs must be limited to issues raised in the case briefs.\12\ 
Interested parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this 
proceeding must submit: (1) table of contents listing each issue; and 
(2) a table of authorities.\13\
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    \11\ See 19 CFR 351.309(d); see also Administrative Protective 
Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Proceedings,88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29, 
2023) (APO and Service Final Rule).
    \12\ See 19 CFR 351.309; see also 19 CFR 351.303 (for general 
filing requirements).
    \13\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2); see also 19 CFR 
351.303 (for general filing requirements).
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    As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior 
proceedings, we have encouraged interested parties to provide an 
executive summary of their brief that should be limited to five pages 
total, including footnotes. In this review, we instead request that 
interested parties provide, at the beginning of their briefs, a public 
executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs.\14\ Further, 
we request that interested parties limit their public executive summary 
of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We 
intend to use the public executive summaries as the basis of the 
comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that 
will accompany the final results in this administrative review. We 
request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant 
citations in the public executive summary of each issue. Note that 
Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the 
service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).\15\
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    \14\ We use the term ``issue'' here to describe an argument that 
Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and 
Decision Memorandum.
    \15\ See APO and Service Final Rule.
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    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to 
request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal 
briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for 
Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce, within 30 days 
after the publication of this notice. Requests should contain the 
party's name, address, telephone number, the number of participants, 
whether any participant is a foreign national, and a list of the issues 
to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce will 
announce the date and time of the hearing.

Verification

    As provided in section 782(i)(3) of the Act, we intend to verify 
the information upon which we will rely in determining our final 
results of review with respect to the mandatory respondent, RZBC.

Final Results of Review

    Unless extended, Commerce intends to issue the final results of 
this review, including the results of its analysis of the issues raised 
in any written briefs, no later than 120 days after the date of 
publication of this notice, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act 
and 19 CFR 351.213(h).

Assessment Rates

    Upon issuing the final results, Commerce will determine, and U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on 
all appropriate entries covered by this review.\16\
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    \16\ See 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).
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    For each individually examined respondent in this review whose 
weighted-average dumping margin in the final results of review is not 
zero or de minimis (i.e., less than 0.5 percent), Commerce intends to 
calculate importer/customer-specific assessment rates.\17\ Where the 
respondent reported reliable entered values, Commerce intends to 
calculate importer/customer-specific ad valorem assessment rates by 
aggregating the amount of dumping calculated for all U.S. sales to the 
importer/customer and dividing this amount by the total entered value 
of the merchandise sold to the importer/customer.\18\ Where the 
respondent did not report entered values, Commerce

[[Page 48379]]

will calculate importer/customer-specific assessment rates by dividing 
the amount of dumping for reviewed sales to the importer/customer by 
the total quantity of those sales. Commerce will calculate an estimated 
ad valorem importer/customer-specific assessment rate to determine 
whether the per-unit assessment rate is de minimis; however, Commerce 
will use the per-unit assessment rate where entered values were not 
reported.\19\ Where an importer/customer-specific ad valorem assessment 
rate is not zero or de minimis, Commerce will instruct CBP to collect 
the appropriate duties at the time of liquidation. Where either the 
respondent's weighted average dumping margin is zero or de minimis, or 
an importer/customer-specific ad valorem assessment rate is zero or de 
minimis, Commerce will instruct CBP to liquidate appropriate entries 
without regard to antidumping duties.\20\
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    \17\ See Antidumping Proceedings: Calculation of the Weighted 
Average Dumping Margin and Assessment Rate in Certain Antidumping 
Proceedings: Final Modification, 77 FR 8101 (February 14, 2012) 
(Final Modification).
    \18\ See 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).
    \19\ Id.
    \20\ See Final Modification, 77 FR at 8103.
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    Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier 
than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this 
review in the Federal Register. If a timely summons is filed at the 
U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will 
direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties 
to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired (i.e., within 
90 days of publication). In accordance with section 751(a)(2)(C) of the 
Act, the final results of this review shall be the basis for the 
assessment of antidumping duties on entries of merchandise covered by 
the final results of this review and for future deposits of estimated 
antidumping duties, where applicable.

Cash Deposit Requirements

    The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon 
publication of the final results of this review for shipments of the 
subject merchandise from China entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, 
for consumption on or after the publication date, as provided by 
section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) for the subject merchandise 
exported by the company listed above that has a separate rate, the cash 
deposit rate will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margin 
established in the final results of this administrative review (except, 
if the rate is zero or de minimis, then zero cash deposit will be 
required); (2) for previously investigated or reviewed Chinese and non-
Chinese exporters not listed above that received a separate rate in a 
prior segment of this proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue 
to be the existing exporter-specific rate; (3) for all Chinese 
exporters of subject merchandise that have not been found to be 
entitled to a separate rate, the cash deposit rate will be that for the 
China-wide entity; and (4) for all non-Chinese exporters of subject 
merchandise which have not received their own rate, the cash deposit 
rate will be the rate applicable to the Chinese exporter that supplied 
that non-Chinese exporter. These deposit requirements, when imposed, 
shall remain in effect until further notice.

Notification to Importers

    This notice serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their 
responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate 
regarding the reimbursement of antidumping and/or countervailing duties 
prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this POR. Failure 
to comply with this requirement could result in Commerce's presumption 
that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent 
assessment of double antidumping duties.

Notification to Interested Parties

    Commerce is issuing and publishing these preliminary results of 
this review in accordance with sections 751(a)(1)(B), 751(a)(3) and 
777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(h) and 351.221(b)(4).

    Dated: May 30, 2024.
Abdelali Elouaradia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the Order
IV. Discussions of the Methodology
V. Adjustment Under Section 777A(f) of the Act
VI. Currency Conversion
VII. Recommendation

[FR Doc. 2024-12349 Filed 6-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P