For Immediate Release: April 10, 2006

FACT SHEET

Preliminary Determinations in the Antidumping Duty Investigations on
Imports of Certain Lined Paper Products from India and the People’s Republic of China

On April 10, the Department of Commerce (Department) announced its preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty investigations on imports of certain lined paper products (CLPP) from India and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). We preliminarily found that Indian and PRC producers/exporters have sold certain lined paper products in the U.S. market at less than fair value, with margins ranging from 22.53 to 110.43 percent for India and 52.10 to 258.21 percent for the PRC. As a result of these preliminary determinations, the Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise and to collect a cash deposit or bond based on the preliminary rates.

Next Steps: The Department will consider all submitted comments from interested parties along with other record evidence before making its final determinations, currently scheduled for July 2006 (India) and August 2006 (PRC). If the Department makes final determinations that imports were sold below fair value by Indian and PRC producers/exporters, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) makes final affirmative determinations that imports from India and the PRC materially injure, or threaten material injury to, the domestic industry, the Department will issue antidumping duty orders and instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits on imports of subject merchandise.

Application of Total Adverse Facts Available: The preliminary dumping margins for imports of CLPP from the PRC-wide entity (258.21 percent) and the Indian producers/exporters Aero Exports and Navneet Publications (India Ltd.) (110.43 percent) are based on adverse facts available because they failed to cooperate to the best of their ability.

PRC Companies Qualifying for a Separate Rate: Based on the separate-rate applications submitted by PRC producers/exporters, the Department has preliminarily determined that 21 additional companies have demonstrated an absence of government control, a requirement for separate-rate status. The Department will apply the weighted-average dumping margin of the mandatory PRC respondents (135.02 percent) to these companies for purposes of the preliminary determination.

Critical Circumstances: The petitioners alleged that critical circumstances exist with respect to imports of CLPP from India and the PRC. The Department has preliminarily determined that there is sufficient evidence to warrant a finding that critical circumstances exist with respect to Aero and Navneet for India, and with respect to all PRC producers/exporters except for the Watanabe Group, Lian Li, and 14 of the separate-rate respondents (see chart).

Companion Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations: The Department’s preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation of CLPP from Indonesia was announced on March 21. The preliminary determinations in the countervailing duty investigations of CLPP from Indonesia and India were announced on February 7.

Petitioners: The petitions requesting these investigations were filed by the Association of American School Paper Suppliers, an ad hoc trade association whose members are located in Ohio, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Product Description: The scope of these investigations includes certain lined paper products, typically school supplies, composed of or including paper that incorporates straight horizontal and/or vertical lines on ten or more paper sheets, including but not limited to such products as single- and multi-subject notebooks, composition books, wireless notebooks, looseleaf or glued filler paper, graph paper, and laboratory notebooks. Merchandise subject to these investigations is typically imported under headings 4820.10.2050, 4810.22.5044, 4811.90.9090 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). The tariff classifications are provided for convenience and customs purposes; however, the written description of the scope of these investigations is dispositive. For a complete scope description, see the preliminary determination Federal Register notices.

Preliminary Margins:

INDIA	PRODUCER/EXPORTER		MARGIN
	Aero Exports		110.43%
	Kejriwal Paper Limited		22.53%
	Navneet Publications (India) Ltd.		110.43%
	All Others		22.53%
PRC	EXPORTER	PRODUCER	MARGIN
	Shanghai Lian Li Paper Products Co., Ltd.	Shanghai Lian Li Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Sentian Paper Products Co., Ltd; Shanghai Miaopaofang Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Pudong Wenbao Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Changsu Changjiang Printing Co., Ltd.; or Shanghai Loutang	52.10%
	The Watanabe Group - (Watanabe Paper Product (Shanghai) Co., Ltd; Watanabe Paper Product (Linqing) Co., Ltd., or Hotrock Stationary (Shenzen) Co.	The Watanabe Group - (Watanabe Paper Product (Shanghai) Co., Ltd; Watanabe Paper Product (Linqing) Co., Ltd.; or Hotrock Stationary (Shenzen) Co.	143.49%
	Ningbo Guangbo Imports and Exports Co., Ltd.	Ningbo Guangbo Imports and Exports Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Yalong Paper Products (Kunshan) Co., Ltd.	Yalong Paper Products (Kunshan) Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Suzhou Industrial Park Asia Pacific Paper Converting Co, Ltd.	Suzhou Industrial Park Asia Pacific Paper Converting Co, Ltd.	135.02%
	Sunshine International Group (HK) Ltd.	Dongguan Shipai Tonzex Electronics Plastic Stationary Factory; Dongguan Kwong Wo Stationary Co., Ltd.; or Hua Lian Electronics Plastic Stationary Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Suzhou Industrial Park You-You Trading Co., Ltd.	Linqing YinXing Paper Co., Ltd.; Jiaxing Seagull Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Shenda Paper Product Factory; Lianyi Paper Product Factory; Changhang Paper Product Factory; Tianlong Paper Product Factory; Rugao Paper Printer Co., Ltd.; or Yinlong Paper Product Factory	135.02%
	Planet International Company Ltd.	Shanghai Gloves & Headwear I/E Co., Ltd.; Shanghai East Best Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd.; Mengcheng County No. 3 Printing Factory; or Shanghai Huhui Paper Product Factory	135.02%
	Planet (Hong Kong) International Company, Ltd.	Shanghai Gloves & Headwear I/E Co., Ltd.; Shanghai East Best Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd.; Zhejiang Arts & Crafts Imp. & Exp. Shanghai Pudong Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Xin Zhi Liang Cultural Product Co., Ltd; Mengcheng County No. 3 Printing Factory; Shanghai Huhui Paper Product Factory; or Shanghai Hongxiang Material Sales Co.	135.02%
	Hajiang Stationary (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.	Hajiang Stationary (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Orient International Holding Shanghai Foreign Trade Co., Ltd.	Yalong Paper Products (Kuhshan) Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Comwell Stationary Co., Ltd; Yeuzhou Paper Co., Ltd., or Changsu Guangming Stationary Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Shanghai Foreign Trade Enterprise Co., Ltd.*	Shanghai Xin Zhi Liang Culture Products., Co., Ltd.; Shangyu Zhongsheng Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Miaoxi Paper Products Factory; or Shanghai Xueya Stationary Co., Ltd.;	135.02%
	Anhui Light Industries International Co., Ltd.	Shanghai Pudong Wenbao Paper Products Factory; or Foshan City Wenhai Paper Factory	135.02%
	Fujian Hengda Group Co., Ltd.*	Fujian Hengda Group Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Changsu Changjiang Printing Co., Ltd.*	Changsu Changjiang Printing Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Jiaxiang Te Gao Te Paper Products Co., Ltd.	Jiaxing Seagull Paper Products Co., Ltd.; or Jiaxing Boshi Paper Products Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Chinapack Ningbo Paper Products Co., Ltd.	Jiaxing Te Gao Te Paper Products Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Linqing Silver Star Paper Products Co., Ltd.*	Linqing Silver Star Paper Products Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Wah Kin Stationary and Paper Product Limited*	Shenzhen Baoan Waijing Development Company	135.02%
	Shanghai Pudong Wenbao Paper Products Factory*	Shanghai Pudong Wenbao Paper Products Factory; Linqing Glistar Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Changshu Changjiang Printing Co., Ltd.; or Linqing Silver Star Paper Products Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Paperline Limited*	Shanghai Pudong Wenbao Paper Products Factory; Linqing Glistar Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Changshu Changjiang Printing Co., Ltd.; Linqing Silver Star Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Jiaxing Te Gao Te Paper Products Co., Ltd.; Yantai License Printing & Making Co., Ltd.; or Anhui Jinhua Import & Export Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	Essential Industries Limited	Dongguan Yizhi Gao Paper Products Ltd.	135.02%
	MGA Entertainment (HK) Limited	Kon Dai (Far East) Packaging Co., Ltd.	135.02%
	PRC-Wide**		258.21%

* Critical Circumstances were found to exist for these companies
** Atico International (HK) & Atico Overseas Ltd., a mandatory PRC respondent that did not respond to the Department’s antidumping questionnaire, is considered part of the PRC-wide entity.

 

Case Calendar:

Event	Date (India)	Date (PRC)
Petition Filed	9-Sep-05	9-Sep-05
Initiation Date	29-Sep-05	29-Sep-05
ITC Preliminary Determination	24-Oct-05	24-Oct-05
DOC Preliminary Determination	7-Apr-06	7-Apr-06
DOC Final Determination	July 28, 2006*	28-Aug-06
ITC Final Determination**	11-Sep-06	12-Oct-06
Issuance of Order***	18-Sep-06	19-Oct-06

* This deadline may be extended under the governing statute.
** This will take place only in the event of a final affirmative determination from the Department of Commerce.
*** This will take place only in the event of a final affirmative determination by both the Department and the ITC.

 

Import Statistics:

INDIA	2003	2004	2005
Volume (units)	37,407,759	37,290,761	31,388,419
Value ($US)	14,196,954	12,418,696	10,876,838
PRC	2003	2004	2005
Volume (units)	198,342,549	227,449,268	334,276,510
Value ($US)	108,440,632	125,459,579	163,864,427

Source: U.S. ITC DataWeb under HTSUS subheadings 4820.10.2050, 4810.22.5044, and 4811.90.9000. In calculating the import volume for HTSUS subheadings 4811.90.9000 and 4810.22.5044, the Department converted import data obtained from the DataWeb into a unit basis by dividing the reported total weight (in kilograms) by 0.491262 kilograms, the per unit weight of the most common filler paper product (150-count filler paper), as indicated by Petitioner. See Petition, Volume I, page 9, Footnote 1. HTSUS subheading 4820.10.2050 did not require conversion.