The Commerce Department reached a preliminary determination that sodium gluconate, gluconic acid and derivatives from China are, or are likely to be, sold in the U.S. at less than fair value, Commerce said.
The period of Commerce’s antidumping investigation is April 1 to Sept. 30, 2017.
Mandatory respondents include Shandong Fuyang Biotechnology Co. Ltd./Shandong Fuyang Biology Starch Co. Ltd.; Qingdao Dongxiao Enterprise Co. Ltd.; Zhejiang Tianyi Food Additives Co. Ltd.; and Dezhou Huiyang Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
Commerce preliminarily assigned a weighted-average dumping margin of 213.15 percent for the China-wide entity and exporter Anhui Xingzhou Medicine Food Co. Ltd.
Commerce will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation of subject merchandise entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after July 10.
Commerce also will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit rate of 213.15 percent for the China-wide entity and the producer-exporter combinations of Anhui Xingzhou Medicine Food Co. Ltd. and Xiwang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Xingzhou Medicine and Zhucheng Shuguang Biotech Co. Ltd.
Commerce will notify the International Trade Commission of its preliminary determination of sales at less than fair value.
If Commerce’s final determination is affirmative, the ITC will determine before the later of 120 days after the date of the preliminary determination or 45 days after the final determination whether imports of subject merchandise are materially injuring or threaten material injury to U.S. industry.
The scope of the investigation covers all grades of sodium gluconate, gluconic acid, liquid gluconate and glucono delta lactone (collectively, GNA products), regardless of physical form.
The scope also covers GNA products that have been blended or are in solution with other products where the resulting mix contains 35 percent or more of any of those GNA products by dry weight.
The merchandise covered by the investigation’s scope is classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) under subheadings 2918.16.1000, 2918.16.5010 and 2932.20.5020, and merchandise covered by the scope may also enter under HTS subheadings 2918.16.5050, 3824.99.2890, and 3824.99.9295.
While HTS subheadings and Chemical Abstract Service registry numbers are provided in Commerce’s notice for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise is dispositive, Commerce said.
The statutory deadline for Commerce to make its final determination is within 75 days of the issuance of the preliminary determination.