Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination

<NOTICE> DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE <SUBAGY>International Trade Administration</SUBAGY> <DEPDOC>[C-570-208]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination</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) determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of polypropylene corrugated boxes (corrugated boxes) from the People's Republic of China (China). The period of investigation is January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. </SUM> <DATES> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Applicable January 22, 2026. </DATES> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Rachel Accorsi or Shane Subler, AD/CVD Operations, Office VIII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3149 or (202) 482-6241, respectively. </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Background</HD> On August 20, 2025, Commerce published in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> the <E T="03">Preliminary Determination</E> in this investigation and invited interested parties to comment. <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> In the <E T="03">Preliminary Determination,</E> and in accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act) and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(4), Commerce aligned the final countervailing duty (CVD) determination with the final determination in the companion less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation of corrugated boxes from China. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> On September 19, 2025, Commerce received a timely letter in lieu of a case brief from the petitioners  <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> stating that Commerce should make no changes to the <E T="03">Preliminary Determination.</E> <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> Based on our review, we made changes to the selected non-responsive company rate based on facts available with adverse inferences (AFA). <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>   <E T="03">See Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes from the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, and Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination,</E> 90 FR 40564 (August 20, 2025) ( <E T="03">Preliminary Determination</E> ), and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum (PDM). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>   <E T="03">See Preliminary Determination,</E> 90 FR at 40565. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>  The petitioners are CoolSeal USA Inc., Inteplast Group Corporation, SeaCa Plastic Packaging, and Technology Container Corp. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Petitioners' Letter, “Petitioners' Letter in lieu of Case Brief,” dated September 19, 2025. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Information Accompanying the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> Notice for the Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination,” dated concurrently with this notice. </FTNT> Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown, on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by 47 days. <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> Additionally, due to a backlog of documents that were electronically filled via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS) during the Federal Government shutdown, on November 24, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by an additional 21 days. <SU>7</SU> <FTREF/> Accordingly, the deadline for this final determination is now January 15, 2026. <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the Federal Government,” dated November 14, 2025. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>7</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Tolling of All Case Deadlines,” dated November 24, 2025. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Scope of the Investigation</HD> The product covered by this investigation is corrugated boxes from China. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, <E T="03">see</E> the appendix to this notice. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Scope Comments</HD> We received no comments from interested parties on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the <E T="03">Preliminary Determination.</E> <SU>8</SU> <FTREF/> Therefore, we made no changes to the scope of the investigation. <FTNT> <SU>8</SU>   <E T="03">See Preliminary Determination,</E> 90 FR at 40566. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Methodology</HD> Commerce conducted this investigation in accordance with section 701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found to be countervailable, Commerce determines that there is a subsidy, <E T="03">i.e.,</E> a financial contribution by an “authority” that gives rise to a benefit to the recipient, and that the subsidy is specific. <SU>9</SU> <FTREF/> In making this final determination, Commerce relied on facts available, including with an adverse inference, pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act. For a full discussion of our application of AFA, see the section “Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Application of Adverse Inferences” in the <E T="03">Preliminary Determination</E> PDM. <FTNT> <SU>9</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding financial contribution; section 771(5)(E) of the Act regarding benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding specificity. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Verification</HD> Because the non-responsive companies did not participate in this investigation and because the Government of China (GOC) did not provide information Commerce requested, Commerce did not conduct a verification in this investigation. <SU>10</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>10</SU>   <E T="03">See Preliminary Determination,</E> 90 FR at 40565-66. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">All-Others Rate</HD> Sections 703(d) and 705(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that Commerce shall determine an estimated all-others rate for companies not individually examined. Pursuant to section 705(c)(5)(A)(ii) of the Act, if the individual estimated countervailable subsidy rates established for all exporters and producers individually examined are zero, <E T="03">de minimis,</E> or determined based entirely on section 776 of the Act, Commerce may use any reasonable method to establish the estimated subsidy rate for all other producers or exporters. In this investigation, Commerce has determined the estimated subsidy rate for the individually examined respondents under section 776 of the Act. This is the only rate available in this proceeding for deriving the all-others rate. Consequently, pursuant to sections 703(d) and 705(c)(5)(A)(ii) of the Act, Commerce established the all-others rate by applying the countervailable subsidy rate assigned to the non-responsive companies listed below. For a full description of the methodology underlying Commerce's analysis, <E T="03">see</E> the <E T="03">Preliminary Determination</E> PDM. <SU>11</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>11</SU>   <E T="03">See Preliminary Determination</E> PDM at 8-12. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Final Determination</HD> Commerce determines that the following estimated countervailable subsidy rates exist: <GPOTABLE COLS="2" OPTS="L2,nj,tp0,i1" CDEF="s200,20"> <TTITLE> </TTITLE> <CHED H="1">Company</CHED> <CHED H="1"> Subsidy rate (percent <E T="03">ad valorem</E> <ENT I="01">Dongguan Jian Xin Plastic Products</ENT> <ENT>* 62.27</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Jinan Mantis Co Ltd</ENT> <ENT>* 62.27</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Ningbo Luchen Packaging Technology Co., Ltd</ENT> <ENT>* 62.27</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Shandong PPKG I&E Co. Ltd</ENT> <ENT>* 62.27</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Suzhou Huiyuan Plastic Products Co</ENT> <ENT>* 62.27</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">All Others</ENT> <ENT>62.27</ENT> </ROW> <TNOTE>* Rate is based on facts available with adverse inferences.</TNOTE> </GPOTABLE> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Disclosure</HD> Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis performed to interested parties in this final determination within five days of any public announcement, or if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of the publication of this notice in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> , in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b). <HD SOURCE="HD1">Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation</HD> In accordance with sections 703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act, Commerce instructed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits and suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise from China as described in the scope of the investigation section entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after August 20, 2025, the date of publication of the <E T="03">Preliminary Determination</E> in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> , at the cash deposit rate indicated above. In accordance with section 703(d) of the Act, we instructed CBP to discontinue the suspension of liquidation of all entries of subject merchandise entered or withdrawn from the warehouse, on or after December 18, 2025, but to continue the suspension of liquidation of all entries of subject merchandise on or before December 17, 2025. If the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issues a final affirmative injury determination, we will issue a CVD order, reinstate the suspension of liquidation under section 706(a) of the Act, and require a cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties for such entries of subject merchandise in t ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 16k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━