FACT SHEET
Initiation of Anticircumvention Inquiries of Antidumping Duty Order:
Petroleum Wax Candles from the People's Republic of China

On February 28, the Department of Commerce (the Department) announced the initiation of two anticircumvention inquiries in relation to the antidumping duty order on imports of petroleum wax candles from the People's Republic of China (PRC). These proceedings have been initiated in order to determine whether mixed wax candles composed of petroleum wax and varying amounts of either palm or vegetable-based waxes can be considered subject to the antidumping duty order under either the minor alterations provision or the later-developed merchandise provision.

Next Steps: {Both inquiries}: The Department will, following consultation with interested parties, establish a schedule for the distribution of questionnaires and the submissions of comments on the issues.¹ In accordance with 19 C.F.R. 351.225(l)(2), if the Department issues a preliminary affirmative determination, it will then instruct the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to suspend liquidation and require a cash deposit of estimated duties on the merchandise. The Department intends to issue its final determination within 300 days of the date of publication of this initiation.

{Later-Developed Inquiry Only}: Parties may submit comments regarding the appropriateness of the Department's later-developed analysis as provided in the Notice of Initiation, no later than 30 days from the date of publication of that notice. Rebuttal comments are due no later than 40 days from the date of publication of that notice. In the event of an affirmative preliminary determination of circumvention, the Department intends to notify the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), in accordance with section 781(e)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, (the Act) and 19 C.F.R. 351.225(f)(7)(i)(C).

{Minor Alterations Inquiry Only}: The Department is initiating this anticircumvention inquiry on particular PRC exporters, as identified by Petitioners in Appendix 1 of their submission dated January 14, 2005. The Department will post the list on the Import Administration web site shortly. However, within 45 days of the date of initiation of this inquiry, if the Department receives sufficient evidence that other PRC manufacturers are involved in the production of mixed wax petroleum wax candles containing varying amounts of palm and/or vegetable-based waxes for export to the United States, it will consider examining such additional manufacturers.

Contact: If you have additional questions regarding these inquiries, please contact Jim Nunno of Import Administration, at (202) 482-0783.

Petitioners: The National Candle Association, petitioners in this proceeding, requested that the Department conduct an anticircumvention inquiry pursuant to section 781(d) of the Act (the later-developed provision) on October 8, 2004. On October 12, 2004, petitioners requested that the Department conduct an anticircumvention inquiry pursuant to section 781(c) of the Act (the minor alterations provision).

Product Description: The products covered by this order are certain scented or unscented petroleum wax candles made from petroleum wax and having fiber or paper-cored wicks. They are sold in the following shapes: tapers, spirals, and straight-sided dinner candles; round, columns, pillars, votives; and various wax-filled containers. The products were classified under subheading 755.25 of the Tariff Schedules of the United States (TSUS). The products covered are currently classified under subheading 3406.00.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheading is provided for convenience purposes, our written description remains dispositive. See Notice of Antidumping Duty Order: Petroleum Wax Candles from the People's Republic of China, 51 FR 30686 (August 28, 1986); see also Notice of Final Results of the Antidumping Duty New Shipper Review: Petroleum Wax Candles from the People's Republic of China, 69 FR 77990 (December 29, 2004).

¹ The Department respectfully requests that when parties file official submissions on the record of either of these anticircumvention inquiries, they identify the specific inquiry for which they are filing comments (i.e., "later-developed" or "minor alterations").

Minor Alterations Anticircumvention Inquiry on Petroleum Wax Candles from the PRC: Identified PRC Manufacturers/Exporters

Party

ADP Ningbo
ADP Qingdao
ADP Shanghai
Allock Ltd.
Amstar Business Company Limited
Aroma Consumer Products (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
Candle World Industrial Co.
China Hebei Boye Great Nation Candle Co., Ltd.
China Overseas Trading Dalian Corp.
China Packaging Import & Export Liaoning Co.
China Xinwing Zhongyuan (Wuhan) Imp. & Exp.
CNACC (Zhejiang) Imports & Export Co., Ltd.
Cnart China Gifts Improt & Export Corp.
Dalian Hanbo Lighting Co., Ltd.
Dandong Hengton Handicraftarticle Co., Ltd.
Dandong Hengtong Handicraft Article Co., Ltd.
DDP Qingdao
Dongguan Fay Candle Company, Ltd.
Dongijeng Fecund Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd.
Ever-gain Industrial Co.
Excel Network Limited
Far Going Candle Gifts Co., Ltd
Fu Kit
Fujian Provincial Arts & Crafts Imp. & Export Corp.
Fushun Candle Corporation
Fushun Economy Development Zone, Xinyang Candle Factory
Fushun Huaiyuan Wax Products Co., Ltd
Fushun Yuanhang Paraffin Products Industrial Co.
Fushun Yuhua Crafts Factory
Gansu Textiles Imp & Exp Corp
Green Islands Industry Shanghai Co., Ltd.
Guangdong Xin Hui City Si Qian Art & Craft Factory
Huangyan Imp. & Exp. Corp.
Huangyan Imp. & Exp. Corp.
Jason Craft Corp. Hong Kong
Jiangsu Holly Corp.
Jiangsu Yixing Foreign Trade Corp.
Jilin Province Arts and Crafts
Jintan Foreign Trade Corp.
Kingking A.C. Co., Ltd.
Kuehne & Nagel (Hong Kong) Beijing
Kwung's International Trade Co., Ltd.
Leader Light, Ltd.
Li & Fung Trading Ltd.
Liaoning Arts & Crafts Import & Export (Dalian, PRC)
Liaoning Light
Liaoning Light Industrial Products Import & Export Corp.
Liaoning Native Product Import & Export Corp., Ltd.
Liaoning Province Building Materials Industrial Im. (Dalian, PRC)
Liaoning Xinyuan Textiles Import & Export (Dalian, PRC)
Lu Ke Trading Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, PRC)
Ningbo Free Trade Zone Weicheng Trading Co., Ltd. O/B Nation Container Line (HK) Ltd. (Ningbo Office, Ningbo, PRC)
Ningbo Free Zone Top Rank Trading Co.
Ningbo Kwung's Giftware Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, PRC)
Ningbo Kwung's Import & Export Co.
Ningbo Sincere Designers & Manufacturers Ltd.
Qingdao Allite Radiance Candle Co. Ltd
Qingdao Happy Chemical Products Co., Ltd.
Qingdao Kingking Applied Chemistry Co., Ltd.
Qingdao Kingking Chemistry Co., Ltd.
Quanzhou Wenbao Light Industry Co.
Red Sun Arts Manufacture (Yixing) Co., Ltd
Rich Talent Trading, Ltd.
Round-the-World (USA) Corp. (Dalian Office, Dalian, PRC)
Round-the-World International Trade & Transportation Service (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. (Tianjin, PRC) (USA) Corp. (Dalian Office, Dalian, PRC)
Seven Seas Candle Ltd.
Shandong H&T Corp.
Shandong Jiaye General Merchandise Co., Ltd.
Shandong Native Produce International Trading Co., Ltd.
Shanghai Arts & Crafts Company (Shanghai, PRC)
Shanghai Asian Development International Tr
Shanghai Broad Trading Co. Ltd.
Shanghai Charming Wax Co. Ltd.
Shanghai Gift & Travel Products Import & Export Corp. Shanghai Zhenghua Craft Product Factory
Shanghai Gifts And Travel
Shanghai Jerry Candle Co. Ltd
Shanghai New Star Im/Ex Co., Ltd.
Shanghai Ornate Candle Art Co., Ltd.
Shanghai Shen Hong Corp.
Shanghai Sincere Gifts Designers & Manufacturers Ltd.
Shanghai Success Arts & Crafts Factory
Shanghai Xietong Group O/B Asia 2 Trading Company
Shanghai Zhen Hua
Simon International
Suzhou Industrial Park Nam Kwong Imp & Exp Co. Ltd
Suzhou Industrial Park Nam Kwong Imp & Exp Co. Ltd
T.H.I. (HK) Ltd. (Dalian Office, Dalian, PRC)
Taizhou International Trade Corp.
Taizhou Sungod Gifts Co., Ltd.
THI (HK) Ltd. (Yantian, PRC)
Thi Group Ltd. And THI (HK) Ltd.
Tianjin Native Produce Import & Export Corp. Ltd.
Tonglu Tiandi
Universal Candle Company Ltd.
Weltech
World Way International (Xiamen) (Xiamen, PRC)
World-Green (Shandong) Corp., Ltd.
Xiamen Aider Import & Export Company
Xiamen C& D Inc.
Xietong (Group) Co. Ltd.
Zen Continental Co., Inc. (Shanghai Office) (Shanghai PRC)
Zhejiang Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corp.
Zhong Hang-Scanwell International (Qingdao, PRC)
Zhong Nam Industrial (International) Co. Ltd.
Zhongnam Candle
Zhongxing Shenyang Commercial Building (Group) Co. Ltd.