Aluminum Wire and Cable From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Negative Scope Determinations With Respect to Cambodia, Korea, and Vietnam; Preliminary Affirmative Determinations of Circumvention With Respect to Korea and Vietnam; Preliminary Negative Determination of Circumvention With Respect to Cambodia

<NOTICE> DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE <SUBAGY>International Trade Administration</SUBAGY> <DEPDOC>[A-570-095, C-570-096]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Aluminum Wire and Cable From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Negative Scope Determinations With Respect to Cambodia, Korea, and Vietnam; Preliminary Affirmative Determinations of Circumvention With Respect to Korea and Vietnam; Preliminary Negative Determination of Circumvention With Respect to Cambodia</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that imports of aluminum wire and cable (AWC) completed in Cambodia, the Republic of Korea (Korea), and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) (collectively, the third countries) using certain AWC inputs manufactured in the People's Republic of China (China) are not covered by scope of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on AWC from China. In addition, Commerce preliminarily determines that AWC completed in Korea and Vietnam using certain AWC inputs manufactured in China are circumventing the orders. Commerce also preliminarily determines that AWC completed in Cambodia using certain AWC inputs manufactured in China are not circumventing the orders. Commerce is also imposing a certification requirement with respect to applicable entries from Korea and Vietnam. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary determinations. </SUM> <DATES> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Applicable August 7, 2024. </DATES> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Gene H. Calvert, AD/CVD Operations, Office VII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3586. </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Background</HD> On December 23, 2019, Commerce published the orders in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> . <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> On October 19, 2023, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.225(b), Commerce self-initiated scope inquiries to determine whether imports of AWC completed in Cambodia, Korea, and Vietnam using inputs manufactured in China are covered by the Orders. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> On this same day, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.226(b) and section 781(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), Commerce also self-initiated country-wide circumvention inquiries to determine whether imports of AWC from Cambodia, Korea, and Vietnam, if outside of the scope of the <E T="03">Orders,</E> are nonetheless circumventing the <E T="03">Orders.</E> Commerce aligned both the scope and circumvention inquiries in accordance with 19 CFR 351.225(e)(3) and 19 CFR 351.226(e)(e). <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>   <E T="03">See Aluminum Wire and Cable from the People's Republic of China: Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders,</E> 84 FR 70496 (December 23, 2019) ( <E T="03">Orders</E> ). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>   <E T="03">See Aluminum Wire and Cable from the People's Republic of China: Initiation of Scope and Circumvention Inquiries of the Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty Orders,</E> 88 FR 72041 (October 19, 2023) ( <E T="03">Initiation Notice</E> ), and accompanying Initiation Memorandum. </FTNT> In the <E T="03">Initiation Notice,</E> Commerce determined that it is appropriate to first determine whether the merchandise is subject to the scope of the <E T="03">Orders</E> through a scope inquiry before considering whether the merchandise is circumventing the <E T="03">Orders.</E> Commerce also stated that, accordingly, it would initially conduct a scope inquiry of the merchandise at issue, and then once it has made a determination as the scope coverage status of the merchandise, would determine whether to proceed with a circumvention inquiry. <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>   <E T="03">See Initiation Notice.</E> </FTNT> Between February 12 and 23, 2024, Commerce selected respondents from each of the third countries as mandatory respondents in these scope and circumvention inquiries. <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> On March 8, 2024, Commerce extended the deadline for these preliminary determinations until June 13, 2024. <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> On June 5, 2024, and based on a request from Encore Wire Corporation (Encore) and Southwire Company LLC (Southwire) (collectively, the petitioners), <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> Commerce further extended these preliminary determinations to July 12, 2024. <SU>7</SU> <FTREF/> On July 12, 2024, we further extended the deadline for the preliminary determinations to July 24, 2024. <SU>8</SU> <FTREF/> On July 22, 2024, Commerce tolled certain deadlines in this administrative proceeding by seven days. The deadline for these preliminary determinations is now July 31, 2024. <SU>9</SU> <FTREF/> For a complete description of the events that followed initiation of these scope and circumvention investigations, <E T="03">see</E> the Preliminary Decision Memoranda. <SU>10</SU> <FTREF/> The Preliminary Decision Memoranda are public documents and are on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov.</E> In addition, complete versions of the Preliminary Decision Memoranda can be access directly at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.</E> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memoranda, “Respondent Selection Regarding the Scope and Circumvention Inquiries with Respect to the Republic of Korea,” dated February 12, 2024; “Respondent Selection Regarding the Scope and Circumvention Inquiries with Respect to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” dated February 12, 2024; and “Respondent Selection Regarding the Scope and Circumvention Inquires for the Kingdom of Cambodia,” dated February 23, 2024. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Extension of Deadlines for the Preliminary Determinations in Circumvention Inquiries,” dated March 8, 2024. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Petitioners' Letter, “Petitioners' Request that Commerce Extend the Deadlines for its Scope Rulings and Preliminary Circumvention Determinations,” dated May 14, 2024. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>7</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Extension of Deadlines for the Final Determination in Circumvention Inquiries,” dated June 5, 2024. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>8</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Extension of Deadlines for the Preliminary Determinations in Circumvention Inquiries,” dated July 12, 2024. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>9</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,” dated July 22, 2024. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>10</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memoranda, <E T="03">“</E> Preliminary Decision Memorandum for the Scope Inquiry and Preliminary Decision Memorandum for the Circumvention Inquiry with Respect to Cambodia,” (Cambodia Preliminary Decision Memorandum); “Preliminary Decision Memorandum for the Scope Inquiry and Preliminary Decision Memorandum for the Circumvention Inquiry with Respect to the Republic of Korea;” and “Preliminary Decision Memorandum for the Scope Inquiry and Preliminary Decision Memorandum for the Circumvention Inquiry with Respect to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” all dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by this notice (collectively, Preliminary Decision Memoranda). </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1"> Scope of the <E T="7462">Orders</E> </HD> The products subject to the <E T="03">Orders</E> are aluminum wire and cable. For a full description of the scope of the <E T="03">Orders, see</E> the Preliminary Decision Memoranda. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Merchandise Subject to the Scope and Anti-Circumvention Inquiries</HD> These inquiries cover AWC assembled or completed in either Cambodia, Korea, or Vietnam using Chinese-origin AWC inputs ( <E T="03">e.g.,</E> stranded wire and cables or unfinished AWC) that is subsequently exported from the third countries to the United States (inquiry merchandise). These inquiries cover exports of AWC from the third countries that are assembled or completed using inputs of Chinese origin which undergo further processing in the third countries. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Scope Determinations</HD> As detailed in the Preliminary Decision Memoranda, Commerce preliminarily determines that the AWC in question that is produced in the third countries using Chinese inputs does not meet the physical description of the scope of the <E T="03">Orders</E> and, therefore, the AWC produced in the third countries does not fall under the scope of the <E T="03">Orders.</E> <SU>11</SU> <FTREF/> Commerce noted in the Preliminary Decision Memoranda that it recently made a similar finding regarding merchandise subject to the scope of the <E T="03">Orders.</E> <SU>12</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>11</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> the Preliminary Decision Memoranda at the sections, “Scope Inquiry.” </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>12</SU>   <E T="03">Id.,</E> citing <E T="03">Notice of Scope Rulings,</E> 89 FR 47896 (June 4, 2024), at the section “A-570-096 and C-570-096: Aluminum Wire and Cable from China,” and accompanying Memorandum, “Aluminum Wire and Cable from the People's Republic of China: Scope Ruling for Imperium Cables, LLC,” dated December 2, 2023, a public document and is on file electronically via ACCESS. </FTNT> Commerce notes that these preliminary scope determinations are subject to verification of record information submitted by the company respondent ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 39k characters. 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