Certain Paper Plates From the People's Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Countervailing Duty Orders

<NOTICE> DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE <SUBAGY>International Trade Administration</SUBAGY> <DEPDOC>[C-570-165, C-552-840]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Certain Paper Plates From the People's Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Countervailing Duty Orders</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> Based on affirmative final determinations by the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), Commerce is issuing countervailing duty (CVD) orders on certain paper plates (paper plates) from the People's Republic of China (China) and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam). </SUM> <DATES> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Applicable March 20, 2025. </DATES> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Mary Kolberg (Vietnam) and Sun Cho (China), AD/CVD Operations, Offices I and V, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-1785 and (202) 482-6458, respectively. </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Background</HD> On January 28, 2025, Commerce published in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> its affirmative final determinations in the CVD investigations of paper plates from China and Vietnam. <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> On March 13, 2025, the ITC notified Commerce of its final determinations, pursuant to section 705(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), that an industry in the United States is materially injured within the meaning of section 705(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Act by reason of imports of paper plates from China and Vietnam. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>   <E T="03">See Certain Paper Plates from the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, in Part,</E> 90 FR 8281 (January 28, 2025); and <E T="03">Certain Paper Plates from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, in Part,</E> 90 FR 8258 (January 28, 2025) (collectively, <E T="03">Final Determinations</E> ). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> ITC's Letter, “Investigation Nos. 701-TA-704-705 and 731-TA-1664-1666 (Final),” dated March 13, 2025. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Countervailing Duty Orders</HD> Based on the above-referenced affirmative final determinations by the ITC that an industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of subsidized imports of paper plates from China and Vietnam, in accordance with section 705(c)(2) of the Act, Commerce is issuing these CVD orders. Because the ITC determined that imports of paper plates from China and Vietnam are materially injuring a U.S. industry, unliquidated entries of such merchandise entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, are subject to the assessment of countervailing duties. In addition, the ITC found that critical circumstances exist with respect to imports from China subject to Commerce's affirmative critical circumstances finding within the meaning of section 705(b)(4)(A) of the Act. As a result of Commerce's affirmative critical circumstances determination under section 705(a)(2) of the Act, and the ITC's affirmative critical circumstances determination under section 705(b)(4)(A) of the Act, retroactive duties will be applied to the relevant imports for a period of 90 days prior to the suspension of liquidation ( <E T="03">i.e.,</E> 90 days prior to the date of publication of the affirmative <E T="03">China Preliminary Determination</E> ). <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> The ITC found that critical circumstances did not exist with respect to Vietnam. <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> section 705(c)(4) of the Act; see also SAA at 876 (“If both agencies make affirmative critical circumstances determinations in their final investigations, retroactive duties will be applied for a period ninety days prior to suspension of liquidation.”). </FTNT> Therefore, in accordance with section 706(a) of the Act, Commerce will direct CBP to assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, countervailing duties on all relevant entries of paper plates from China and Vietnam. Countervailing duties will be assessed on unliquidated entries of paper plates from China entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, on or after April 2, 2024, which is 90 days prior to the date of publication of the <E T="03">China Preliminary Determination.</E> <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> Countervailing duties will be assessed on unliquidated entries of paper plates from Vietnam entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, on or after July 1, 2024, which is the date of publication of the <E T="03">Vietnam Preliminary Determination.</E> <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> Countervailing duties will not be assessed on entries occurring after the expiration of the provisional measures period and before the publication of the ITC's final affirmative injury determination, as further described in the “Provisional Measures” section of this notice. With respect to the ITC's negative critical circumstances determination on imports of paper plates from Vietnam, Commerce will instruct CBP to lift suspension and to refund any cash deposits made to secure the payment of estimated countervailing duties with respect to entries of the subject merchandise from Vietnam entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after April 2, 2024 ( <E T="03">i.e.,</E> 90 days prior to the date of the publication of the <E T="03">Vietnam Preliminary Determination</E> ), but before July 1, 2024 ( <E T="03">i.e.,</E> the date of publication of <E T="03">Vietnam Preliminary Determination</E> ). <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>   <E T="03">See Certain Paper Plates from the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, in Part, and Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination,</E> 89 FR 54432 (July 1, 2024) ( <E T="03">China Preliminary Determination</E> ); and <E T="03">Certain Paper Plates From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, in Part, and Alignment of Final Determination With Antidumping Duty Determination,</E> 89 FR 54429 (July 1, 2024) ( <E T="03">Vietnam Preliminary Determination</E> ) (collectively, <E T="03">Preliminary Determinations</E> ). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>   <E T="03">Id.</E> </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>   <E T="03">Id.</E> </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation and Cash Deposits</HD> In accordance with section 706 of the Act, Commerce intends to instruct CBP to reinstitute the suspension of liquidation of paper plates from China and Vietnam, effective on the date of publication of the ITC's final affirmative injury determination in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> , and to assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, pursuant to section 706(a)(1) of the Act, countervailing duties on each entry of subject merchandise in an amount based on the net countervailable subsidy rates below. These instructions suspending liquidation will remain in effect until further notice. Commerce also intends, pursuant to section 706(a)(1) of the Act, to instruct CBP to require cash deposits equal to the amounts as indicated below. Accordingly, effective on the date of publication of the ITC's final affirmative injury determination in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> , CBP will require, at the same time as importers would normally deposit estimated customs duties on the subject merchandise, a cash deposit for each entry of subject merchandise equal to the subsidy rates listed below. <SU>7</SU> <FTREF/> The all-others rates apply to all producers or exporters not specifically listed below, as appropriate. <FTNT> <SU>7</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> section 706(a)(3) of the Act. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Scope of the Orders</HD> The products covered by these orders are paper plates from China and Vietnam. For a complete description of the scope of these orders, <E T="03">see</E> the appendix to this notice. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Estimated Countervailing Duty Subsidy Rates</HD> The estimated CVD subsidy rates are as follows: <E T="03">China:</E> <GPOTABLE COLS="2" OPTS="L2,tp0,i1" CDEF="s150,20"> <TTITLE> </TTITLE> <CHED H="1">Company</CHED> <CHED H="1"> Subsidy rate (percent <E T="03">ad valorem</E> <ENT I="01">Fuzhou Hengli Paper Co., Ltd</ENT> <ENT>11.38</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Jinhua P&P Product Co., Ltd</ENT> <ENT>4.47</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Ningbo Artcool Co., Ltd</ENT> <ENT>* 295.08</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Ningbo Fenghua Yongfa Printing Stationery Co., Ltd</ENT> <ENT>* 295.08</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Zhejiang Kingsun Eco-Pack Co., Ltd</ENT> <ENT>* 295.08</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Zhejiang Lingrong Crafts Co., Ltd</ENT> <ENT>* 295.08</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">All Others</ENT> <ENT>10.61</ENT> </ROW> <TNOTE>* Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.</TNOTE> </GPOTABLE> <E T="03">Vietnam:</E> <GPOTABLE COLS="2" OPTS="L2,tp0,i1" CDEF="s150,20"> <TTITLE> </TTITLE> <CHED H="1">Company</CHED> <CHED H="1"> Subsidy rate (percent <E T="03">ad valorem</E> <ENT I="01">Go-Pak Paper Products Vietnam Co., Ltd</ENT> <ENT>5.53</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Innovative Sonic Vietnam International</ENT> ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 22k characters. 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