Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 132 / Tuesday, July 10, 2018 / Notices 31949 

1See Sodium Gluconate, Gluconic Acid, and 

Derivative Products from France and the People’s 

Republic of China: Initiation of Less-Than-FairValue Investigations, 83 FR 516 (January 4, 2018) 

(Initiation Notice). 

2See Sodium Gluconate, Gluconic Acid, and 

Derivative Products from the People’s Republic of 

China: Postponement of Preliminary Determination 

in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation, 83 FR 

19050 (May 1, 2018). 

3See Memorandum, for The Record from 

Christian Marsh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Enforcement and Compliance, performing the nonexclusive functions and duties of the Assistant 

Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, 

‘‘Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the 

Federal Government,’’ (Tolling Memorandum), 

dated January 23, 2018. All deadlines in this 

segment of the proceeding have been extended by 

3 days. 

4See Memorandum, ‘‘Decision Memorandum for 

the Preliminary Determination of the Less-ThanFair-Value Investigation of Sodium Gluconate, 

Gluconic Acid, and Derivative Products from 

People’s Republic of China (Preliminary Decision 

Memorandum), dated concurrently with, and 

hereby adopted by, this notice. See also Appendix 

I. 

5See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, 

62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997). 

6See Initiation Notice. 

7See Letter from Jungbunzlauer S.A. to 

Commerce, ‘‘Investigations Sodium Gluconate, 

Gluconic Acid, and Derivative Products from 

France and China—Junsbunzlauers Comments 

regarding Scope,’’ dated January 9, 2018, and PMP’s 

Letter to Commerce, ‘‘Countervailing and 

Antidumping Duty Investigation of Sodium 

Gluconate, Gluconic Acid and Derivative Products 

from the People’s Republic of China: Petitioner’s 

Rebuttal Comments on Scope Comments,’’ dated 

January 19, 2018. 

8See Memorandum, ‘‘Less-Than-Fair-Value 

Investigation of Sodium Gluconate, Gluconic Acid, 

and Derivative Products from the People’s Republic 

of China: Respondent Selection,’’ dated January 17, 

2018 (Initial Respondent Selection Memorandum). 

See also Shandong Fuyang letter, ‘‘Notice of NonParticipation in Investigation,’’ dated March 30, 

2018. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0. (This is not the cost of 

respondents’ time, but the indirect costs 

respondents may incur for such things 

as purchases of specialized software or 

hardware needed to report, or 

expenditures for accounting or records 

maintenance services required 

specifically by the collection.) 

Respondent Obligation: Voluntary. 

Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 16, 

141, and 193. 

V. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Summarization of comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection. 

Comments will also become a matter of 

public record. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the 

Chief Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14695 Filed 7–9–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[A–570–071] 

Sodium Gluconate, Gluconic Acid, and 

Derivative Products From the People’s 

Republic of China: Preliminary 

Determination of Sales at Less Than 

Fair Value 

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily 

determines that sodium gluconate, 

gluconic acid, and derivative products 

from the People’s Republic of China 

(China) are, or are likely to be, sold in 

the United States at less than fair value 

(LTFV). The period of investigation 

(POI) is April 1, 2017, through 

September 30, 2017. Interested parties 

are invited to comment on this 

preliminary determination. 

DATES: Applicable July 10, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Magd Zalok or Stephen Bailey, AD/CVD 

Operations, Office IV, Enforcement & 

Compliance, International Trade 

Administration, Department of 

Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 

NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 

(202) 482–4162 or (202) 482–0193 

respectively. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

This preliminary determination is in 

accordance with section 733(b) of the 

Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). 

Commerce published the notice of 

initiation of this investigation on 

January 4, 2018.1 On May 1, 2018, 

Commerce postponed the preliminary 

determination of this investigation.2

Commerce has exercised its discretion 

to toll deadlines for the duration of the 

closure of the Federal Government from 

January 20 through 22, 2018.3 The 

revised deadline for the preliminary 

determination for this investigation is 

now July 2, 2018. 

For a complete description of the 

events that followed the initiation of 

this investigation, see the Preliminary 

Decision Memorandum.4 A list of topics 

included in the Preliminary Decision 

Memorandum is included as Appendix 

II to this notice. The Preliminary 

Decision Memorandum is a public 

document and is on file electronically 

via Enforcement and Compliance’s 

Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 

Centralized Electronic Service System 

(ACCESS). ACCESS is available to 

registered users at https://

access.trade.gov, and to all parties in the 

Central Records Unit, room B8024 of the 

main Department of Commerce 

building. In addition, a complete 

version of the Preliminary Decision 

Memorandum can be accessed directly 

at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. 

The signed and the electronic versions 

of the Preliminary Decision 

Memorandum are identical in content. 

Scope of the Investigation 

The products covered by this 

investigation are sodium gluconate, 

gluconic acid, and derivative products 

from China. For a complete description 

of the scope of this investigation, see 

Appendix I to this notice. 

Scope Comments 

In accordance with the preamble to 

Commerce’s regulations,5 the Initiation 

Notice set aside a period of time for 

parties to raise issues regarding product 

coverage (scope).6 On January 9, 2018, 

and January 19, 2018, Commerce 

received scope comments and rebuttal 

comments, respectively.7 For further 

details, see the Preliminary Decision 

Memorandum accompanying this 

notice. However, Commerce is not 

preliminarily modifying the scope 

language as it appeared in the Initiation 

Notice. See the scope in Appendix I to 

this notice. 

Methodology 

Commerce is conducting this 

investigation in accordance with section 

731 of the Act. Pursuant to sections 

776(a) and (b) of the Act, Commerce 

preliminarily has relied upon facts 

otherwise available, with adverse 

inferences, for the China-wide entity. 

The China-wide entity includes 

mandatory respondents Shandong 

Fuyang Biotechnology Co., Ltd./ 

Shandong Fuyang Biology Starch Co., 

Ltd. (Shandong Fuyang) 8 Qingdao 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
31950 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 132 / Tuesday, July 10, 2018 / Notices 

9See Qingdao Dongxiao, see the Initial 

Respondent Selection Memorandum and Qingdao 

Dongxiao’s Letter, ‘‘Withdrawal from 

Participation,’’ dated February 14, 2018. 

10See Tianyi Food, see Commerce’s 

Memorandum, ‘‘Selection of Additional 

Respondent,’’ dated March 5, 2018 and Tianyi 

Food’s Letter, ‘‘Withdrawal from Participation,’’ 

dated March 8, 2018. 

11See Dezhou Huiyang’s Commerce’s 

Memorandum, ‘‘Selection of Additional 

Respondent,’’ dated March 9, 2018 and Dezhou 

Huiyang’s Letter, ‘‘Dezhou Huiyang Biotechnology 

Co., Ltd. Withdrawal of Participation in 

Antidumping Duty Investigation,’’ dated March 13, 

2018. 

12See, e.g., Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, 

Sheet, and Strip from the People’s Republic of 

China: Final Determination of Sales at Less Than 

Fair Value, 73 FR 55039, 55040 (September 24, 

2008). 

13See Final Determination of Sales at Less Than 

Fair Value: Sparklers from the People’s Republic of 

China, 56 FR 20588, 20589 (May 6, 1991) 

(Sparklers). 

14See, e.g., Xingzhou Medicine’s Letter, 

‘‘Xingzhou Medicine Separate Rate Application,’’ 

dated February 5, 2018; Commerce’s Letter, ‘‘1st 

Supplemental Questionnaire Regarding the 

Separate Rate Application for Anhui Xingzhou 

Medicine Food Co., Ltd.,’’ dated February 27, 2018; 

Xingzhou Medicine’s Letter, ‘‘Supplemental SRA 

Questionnaire Response,’’ dated March 6, 2018; 

Commerce’s Letter, ‘‘2nd Supplemental 

Questionnaire regarding the Separate Rate 

Application for Anhui Xingzhou Medicine Food 

Co., Ltd.,’’ dated March 22, 2018. and Xingzhou 

Medicine’s Letter, ‘‘Second Supplemental SRA 

Questionnaire Response,’’ dated March 29, 2018. 

15See Initiation Notice at 42652–53. 

16See Enforcement and Compliance’s Policy 

Bulletin No. 05.1, regarding, ‘‘Separate-Rates 

Practice and Application of Combination Rates in 

Antidumping Investigations involving Non-Market 

Economy Countries,’’ (April 5, 2005) (Policy 

Bulletin 05.1), available on Commerce’s website at 

http://enforcement.trade.gov/policy/bull05-1.pdf. 

17The China-wide Entity includes Dezhou 

Huiyang, Qingdao Dongxiao, Shandong Fuyang, 

and Tianyi Food. 

Dongxiao Enterprise Co., Ltd. (Qingdao 

Dongxiao),9 Zhejiang Tianyi Food 

Additives Co., Ltd. (Tianyi Food) 10 and 

Dezhou Huiyang Biotechnology Co., 

Ltd. (Dezhou Huiyang).11 These 

companies failed to respond to 

Commerce’s requests for information 

and withdrew from participation in this 

investigation. For a full description of 

the methodology underlying 

Commerce’s preliminary determination, 

see the Preliminary Decision 

Memorandum. 

Separate Rate 

In proceedings involving NME 

countries, Commerce maintains a 

rebuttable presumption that all 

companies within the country are 

subject to government control and, 

therefore, should be assessed a single 

weighted-average dumping margin.12

Commerce’s policy is to assign all 

exporters of subject merchandise that 

are in an NME country this single rate 

unless an exporter can demonstrate that 

it is sufficiently independent so as to be 

entitled to a separate rate.13 Commerce 

preliminarily finds that the evidence 

placed on the record of this 

investigation by Anhui Xingzhou 

Medicine Food Co., Ltd. (Xingzhou 

Medicine) 14 demonstrates an absence of 

de jure and de facto government control. 

Commerce assigned Xingzhou Medicine 

a separate rate, which is the petition 

rate, because it is the only rate available 

on the record of this proceeding. For a 

full description of the methodology 

underlying Commerce’s preliminary 

determination, see the Preliminary 

Decision Memorandum. 

Combination Rates 

In the Initiation Notice,15 Commerce 

stated that it would calculate producer/ 

exporter combination rates for the 

respondents that are eligible for a 

separate rate in this investigation. Policy 

Bulletin 05.1 describes this practice.16

Because Commerce preliminarily 

determined that these mandatory 

respondents should be considered part 

of the China-wide entity, and assigned, 

as adverse facts available, the petition 

rate to the China-wide entity, Commerce 

did not calculate producer/exporter 

combination rates for those companies. 

Preliminary Determination 

Commerce preliminarily determines 

that the following estimated weightedaverage dumping margins exist: 

Exporter Producer 

Estimated 

weightedaverage 

dumping 

margin 

(percent) 

Anhui Xingzhou Medicine Food Co., Ltd .................................... Xiwang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd ............................................... 213.15 

Anhui Xingzhou Medicine Food Co., Ltd .................................... Zhucheng Shuguang Biotech Co., Ltd ...................................... 213.15 

China-wide Entity 17 213.15 

Suspension of Liquidation 

In accordance with section 733(d)(2) 

of the Act, Commerce will direct U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to 

suspend liquidation of subject 

merchandise as described in the scope 

of the investigation section entered, or 

withdrawn from warehouse, for 

consumption on or after the date of 

publication of this notice in the Federal 

Register, as discussed below. Further, 

pursuant to section 733(d)(1)(B) of the 

Act and 19 CFR 351.205(d), Commerce 

will instruct CBP to require a cash 

deposit equal to the weighted average 

amount by which normal value exceeds 

U.S. price, as indicated in the chart 

above as follows: (1) For the producer/ 

exporter combinations listed in the table 

above, the cash deposit rate is equal to 

the estimated weighted-average 

dumping margin listed for that 

combination in the table; (2) for all 

combinations of China producers/ 

exporters of merchandise under 

consideration that have not established 

eligibility for their own separate rates, 

the cash deposit rate will be equal to the 

estimated weighted-average dumping 

margin established for the China-wide 

entity; and (3) for all third-country 

exporters of merchandise under 

consideration not listed in the table 

above, the cash deposit rate is the cash 

deposit rate applicable to the China 

producer/exporter combination (or the 

China-wide entity) that supplied that 

third-country exporter. 

As described in the Preliminary 

Decision Memorandum, in this 

preliminary determination, no 

adjustments pursuant to sections 

777A(f) and 772(c)(1)(C) of the Act are 

being made for cash deposit purposes. 

These suspension of liquidation 

instructions will remain in effect until 

further notice. 

Disclosure 

Normally, Commerce discloses to 

interested parties the calculations 

performed in connection with a 

preliminary determination within five 

days of its public announcement or, if 

there is no public announcement, 

within five days of the date of 

publication of this notice in accordance 

with 19 CFR 351.224(b). However, 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 132 / Tuesday, July 10, 2018 / Notices 31951 

18See 19 CFR 351.309; see also 19 CFR 351.303 

(for general filing requirements). 

because Commerce preliminarily 

determined that the mandatory 

respondents should be considered to be 

part of the China-wide entity, and 

assigned the China-wide entity an AFA 

rate based solely on the petition, there 

are no calculations to disclose. 

Verification 

Because the mandatory respondents 

in this investigation did not provide 

information requested by Commerce 

and Commerce preliminarily determines 

in accordance with section 776(b) of the 

Act that each of the mandatory 

respondents to have been 

uncooperative, verification will not be 

conducted. 

Public Comment 

Case briefs or other written comments 

may be submitted to the Assistant 

Secretary for Enforcement and 

Compliance no later than 30 days after 

the date of publication of the 

preliminary determination, unless the 

Secretary alters the time limit. Rebuttal 

briefs, limited to issues raised in case 

briefs, may be submitted no later than 

five days after the deadline date for case 

briefs.18 Pursuant to 19 CFR 

351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), parties who 

submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in 

this investigation are encouraged to 

submit with each argument: (1) A 

statement of the issue; (2) a brief 

summary of the argument; and (3) a 

table of authorities. 

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), 

interested parties who wish to request a 

hearing, limited to issues raised in the 

case and rebuttal briefs, must submit a 

written request to the Assistant 

Secretary for Enforcement and 

Compliance, U.S. Department of 

Commerce, within 30 days after the date 

of publication of this notice. Requests 

should contain the party’s name, 

address, and telephone number, the 

number of participants, whether any 

participant is a foreign national, and a 

list of the issues to be discussed. If a 

request for a hearing is made, Commerce 

intends to hold the hearing at the U.S. 

Department of Commerce, 1401 

Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, 

DC 20230, at a time and date to be 

determined. Parties should confirm by 

telephone the date, time, and location of 

the hearing two days before the 

scheduled date. 

Final Determination 

Section 735(a)(1) of the Act and 19 

CFR 351.210(b)(1) provide that 

Commerce will issue the final 

determination within 75 days after the 

date of its preliminary determination. 

Accordingly, Commerce will make its 

final determination no later than 75 

days after the signature date of this 

preliminary determination. 

International Trade Commission 

Notification 

In accordance with section 733(f) of 

the Act, Commerce will notify the 

International Trade Commission (ITC) of 

its preliminary determination of sales at 

LTFV. If the final determination is 

affirmative, the ITC will determine 

before the later of 120 days after the date 

of this preliminary determination or 45 

days after the final determination 

whether imports of the subject 

merchandise are materially injuring, or 

threaten material injury to, the U.S. 

industry. 

Notification to Interested Parties 

This determination is issued and 

published in accordance with sections 

733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 

CFR 351.205(c). 

Dated: July 2, 2018. 

Gary Taverman, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping 

and Countervailing Duty Operations 

performing the non-exclusive functions and 

duties of the Assistant Secretary for 

Enforcement and Compliance. 

Appendix I 

Scope of the Investigation 

The scope of the investigation covers all 

grades of sodium gluconate, gluconic acid, 

liquid gluconate, and glucono delta lactone 

(GDL) (collectively GNA Products), 

regardless of physical form (including, but 

not limited to substrates; solutions; dry 

granular form or powders, regardless of 

particle size; or as a slurry). The scope also 

includes GNA Products that have been 

blended or are in solution with other 

product(s) where the resulting mix contains 

35 percent or more of sodium gluconate, 

gluconic acid, liquid gluconate, and/or GDL 

by dry weight. 

Sodium gluconate has a molecular formula 

of NaC6H11O7. Sodium gluconate has a 

Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) registry 

number of 527–07–1, and can also be called 

‘‘sodium salt of gluconic acid’’ and/or 

sodium 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 pentahydroxyhexanoate. 

Gluconic acid has a molecular formula of 

C6H12O7. Gluconic acid has a CAS registry 

number of 526–95–4, and can also be called 

2, 3, 4, 5, 6 pentahydroxycaproic acid. Liquid 

gluconate is a blend consisting only of 

gluconic acid and sodium gluconate in an 

aqueous solution. Liquid gluconate has CAS 

registry numbers of 527–07–1, 526–95–4, and 

7732–18–5, and can also be called 2, 3, 4, 5, 

6-pentahydroxycaproic acid-hexanoate. GDL 

has a molecular formula of C6H10O6. GDL has 

a CAS registry number of 90–80–2, and can 

also be called d-glucono-1,5-lactone. 

The merchandise covered by the scope of 

the investigation is currently classified in the 

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 

States (HTSUS) under subheadings 

2918.16.1000, 2918.16.5010, and 

2932.20.5020. Merchandise covered by the 

scope may also enter under HTSUS 

subheadings 2918.16.5050, 3824.99.2890, 

and 3824.99.9295. Although the HTSUS 

subheadings and CAS registry numbers are 

provided for convenience and customs 

purposes, the written description of the 

merchandise is dispositive. 

Appendix II 

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary 

Decision Memorandum 

I. Summary 

II. Background 

III. Period of Investigation 

IV. Scope Comments 

V. Scope of the Investigation 

VI. Discussion of the Methodology 

A. Non-Market Economy Country 

B. Surrogate Country and Surrogate Value 

Comments 

C. Separate Rates 

D. China-Wide Entity 

E. Use of Facts Otherwise Available With 

an Adverse Inference 

VII. Adjustment Under Section 777(A)(f) of 

the Act 

VIII. Adjustments to Cash Deposit Rates for 

Export Subsidies 

IX. Verification 

X. Conclusion 

[FR Doc. 2018–14729 Filed 7–9–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[C–570–978] 

High Pressure Steel Cylinders From 

the People’s Republic of China: 

Preliminary Results of Countervailing 

Duty Administrative Review; 2016 

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce 

(Commerce) is conducting an 

administrative review of the 

countervailing duty (CVD) order on high 

pressure steel cylinders (steel cylinders) 

from the People’s Republic of China 

(PRC) for the period of review January 

1, 2016, through December 31, 2016. 

Interested parties are invited to 

comment on these preliminary results. 

DATES: Applicable July 10, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Toby Vandall or Aimee Phelan, AD/ 

CVD Operations, Office I, Enforcement 

and Compliance, International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 

NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1