Uncoated Paper: Commerce to Examine AD/CV Circumvention Allegations on Sheeter Rolls
The Commerce Department is beginning an inquiry into allegations from the domestic paper industry that uncoated paper is being imported in the form of sheeter rolls to circumvent antidumping and countervailing duties on uncoated paper from Australia, Brazil, China and Indonesia (A-602-807, A-351-842, A-570-022/C-570-023, A-560-828/C-560-829). In this anti-circumvention inquiry, Commerce will determine whether sheeter rolls imported from Australia, Brazil, China and Indonesia should be subject to the AD/CV duty orders on uncoated paper from those countries.
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Specifically, the inquiry covers imports of uncoated paper commonly known as “sheeter rolls” from Australia, Brazil, China and Indonesia “that are further processed in the United States to create individual sheets of uncoated paper that would be subject to the Orders. Sheeter rolls are designed to be converted into sheets of uncoated paper using specialized cutting machinery prior to printing, and are typically, but not exclusively, between 52 and 103 inches wide and 50 inches in diameter. Rolls of uncoated paper at issue in this inquiry are classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code 4802.55.”
Commerce declined to extend its anti-circumvention inquiry to also cover sheeter rolls from Portugal based on a lack of evidence that sheeter rolls are being imported from the country, though the agency said the domestic industry’s request for an inquiry on Portugal could be refiled at a later time with additional evidence.
If Commerce finds circumvention in its preliminary determination, the agency will suspend liquidation and require cash deposits on entries of sheeter rolls from Australia, Brazil, China and Indonesia entered on or after Oct. 18, the initiation date for this inquiry. Commerce intends to issue its final determination in this anti-circumvention inquiry by August 2020, it said.
(Federal Register 10/18/19)