Certain New Pneumatic Off-the-Road Tires From the People's Republic of China: Amended Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2014-2015

AGENCY:

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

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (Department) is amending its final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain new pneumatic off-the-road tires (OTR Tires) from the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the period of September 1, 2014, through August 31, 2015, to correct a ministerial error. The amended final weighted-average dumping margins for the reviewed firms are listed below in the section entitled, “Amended Final Results.”

DATES:

Effective June 14, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mandy Mallott, AD/CVD Operations, Office III, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone 202-482-6430.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On April 13, 2017, the Department issued the final results of the administrative review of the 2014-2015 period of review. On April 14, 2017, the Department disclosed to interested parties its calculations for the final results. On April 24, 2017, the Department received a timely-filed ministerial error allegation from the petitioners regarding the Department's margin calculation for Xugong, one of the mandatory respondents in the review. The Department also received a timely-filed ministerial error allegation from Xugong regarding the draft final liquidation instructions released with the Final Results.

Scope of the Order

The merchandise covered by this order includes new pneumatic tires designed for off-the-road and off-highway use, subject to certain exceptions. The subject merchandise is currently classifiable under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings: 4011.80.1010, 4011.20.10.25, 4011.20.10.35, 4011.20.50.30, 4011.20.50.50, 4011.61.00.00, 4011.62.00.00, 4011.63.00.00, 4011.69.00.00, 4011.70.00.10, 4011.70.00.50 4011.80.20.20, 4011.92.00.00, 4011.93.40.00, 4011.93.80.00, 4011.94.40.00, 4011.94.80.00, 8716.90.5056, 8716.90.5059, 4011.80.10.10, 4011.80.10.20, 4011.80.20.10, 4011.80.80.10, and 4011.80.80.20. The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes only; the written product description of the scope of the order is dispositive. For a complete description of the scope of the order, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum accompanying the Final Results.

Ministerial Error

Section 751(h) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 351.224(f) define a “ministerial error” as an error “in addition, subtraction, or other arithmetic function, clerical error resulting from inaccurate copying, duplication, or the like, and any similar type of unintentional error which the Secretary considers ministerial.” We analyzed the petitioners' ministerial error comments and determined, in accordance with section 751(h) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.224(e) and (f), that we made a ministerial error in our calculation of Xugong's margin for the Final Results by inadvertently using the incorrect sales figures as a denominator to devise the indirect sales expense ratio. We also made an error in the draft liquidation instructsions. For a detailed discussion of the Department's ministerial error determination, see Ministerial Error Memorandum.

In accordance with section 751(h) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.224(e), we are correcting this error in the calculation of Xugong's weighted-average dumping margin by using the proper denominator in the calculation of indirect sales expenses, and are, thus, amending the Final Results. The revised weighted-average dumping margin for Xugong is detailed below.

Additionally, as a result of our revision to Xugong's margin, the Department has also revised the dumping margin for companies not individually examined in the review. As we explained in the Final Results, the Department looks to section 735(c)(5) of the Act, which provides instructions for calculating the all-others rate in an investigation, for guidance when calculating the rate for respondents not individually examined in an administrative review. Consistent with section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act, the Department's usual practice has been to determine the dumping margin for companies not individually examined by averaging the weighted-average dumping margins for the individually examined respondents, excluding rates that are zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts available. Because Xugong's revised weighted-average dumping margin is above de minimis and not based entirely on facts available, consistent with the Department's practice, we have assigned to companies not individually examined the weighted-average dumping margin calculated for Xugong as the separate rate for this review. The revised weighted-average dumping margins for those companies are detailed below.

Amended Final Results

As a result of correcting this ministerial error, we determine that the following weighted-average dumping margins exist for the POR:

The Department's determination in the Final Results that Guizhou Tyre Co., Ltd. (GTC) and Guizhou Tyre Import and Export Co., Ltd. (GTCIE), Aeolus Tyre Co., Ltd., and Tianjin Leviathan International Trade Co., Ltd., are part of the PRC-wide entity remains unchanged.

Disclosure

We intend to disclose the calculations performed regarding these amended final results within five days of the date of publication of this notice to parties in this proceeding, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Assessment Rates

The Department shall determine, and CBP shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). The Department intends to issue assessment instructions directly to CBP 15 days after the date of publication of these amended final results of administrative review.

For Xugong, the Department calculated importer-specific assessment rates on the basis of the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the importer's examined sales to the total entered value of sales, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). For customers or importers of Xugong for which we do not have entered values, we calculated importer- (or customer-) specific antidumping duty assessment amounts based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping duties calculated for the examined sales of subject merchandise to the total sales quantity of those same sales. For customers or importers of Xugong for which we received entered-value information, we have calculated importer- (or customer-) specific antidumping duty assessment rates based on importer- (or customer-) specific ad valorem rates. Where an importer- or (customer-) specific ad valorem rate is greater than de minimis, the Department will instruct CBP to collect the appropriate duties at the time of liquidation. For the non-examined separate rate companies, we will instruct CBP to liquidate all appropriate entries at 33.14 percent. For those entities that are subject to this review that the Department has determined are part of the PRC-wide entity (i.e., GTC and GTCIE, Aeolus Tyre Co., Ltd., and Tianjin Leviathan International Trade Co., Ltd.), we will instruct CBP to liquidate all appropriate entries at the PRC-wide rate of 105.31 percent. Pursuant to a refinement in the Department's non-market economy (NME) practice, for entries that were not reported in the U.S. sales databases submitted by companies individually examined during this review, the Department will instruct CBP to liquidate such entries at the PRC-wide rate. In addition, if the Department determines that an exporter under review had no shipments of subject merchandise, any suspended entries that entered under that exporter's case number (i.e., at that exporter's rate) will be liquidated at the PRC-wide rate.

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after April 21, 2017, the publication date of the Final Results of this administrative review, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) For the exporters listed above, the cash deposit rate will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margin identified in the “Amended Final Results” section of this notice, above; (2) for previously investigated or reviewed PRC and non-PRC exporters that are not under review in this segment of the proceeding but that received a separate rate in a previous segment, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the exporter-specific rate (or exporter-producer chain rate) published for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding in which the exporter was reviewed; (3) for all PRC exporters of subject merchandise which have not been found to be entitled to a separate rate, the cash deposit rate will be the PRC-wide rate of 105.31 percent; and (4) for all non-PRC exporters of subject merchandise which have not received their own rate, the cash deposit rate will be the rate applicable to the PRC exporter(s) that supplied that non-PRC exporter. These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Notification to Importers

This notice serves as a final 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 review period. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Secretary's presumption that reimbursement of the antidumping and/or countervailing duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

Administrative Protective Order

This notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information disclosed under the APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. 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.

We are issuing and publishing these amended final results of administrative review in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act.