This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 11/20/2018 and available online at https://federalregister.gov/d/2018-25299, and on govinfo.gov BILLING CODE: 3510-DS-P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-570-084] Certain Quartz Surface Products from the People’s Republic of China: Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Postponement of Final Determination AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain quartz surface products (QSP) from the People’s Republic of China (China) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is October 1, 2017, through March 31, 2018. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination. DATES: Applicable [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER]. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Medley or Whitley Herndon, AD/CVD Operations, Office II, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-4987 or (202) 482-6274, respectively. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background This preliminary determination is made 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 May 16, 2018.1 On August 28, 2018, Commerce published the postponement of the preliminary determination of this investigation, and the revised deadline is now November 13, 2018.2 For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.3 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 QSP from China. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I. Scope Comments In accordance with the preamble to Commerce’s regulations,4 the Initiation Notice set aside a period of time for parties to raise issues regarding product coverage (scope).5 Certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the Initiation 1 See Certain Quartz Surface Products from the People’s Republic of China: Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation, 83 FR 22613 (May 16, 2018) (Initiation Notice). 2 See Certain Quartz Surface Products from the People’s Republic of China: Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation, 83 FR 43848 (August 28, 2018). 3 See Memorandum, “Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary Determination in the Less -Than-Fair-Value Investigation of Certain Quartz Surface Products from the People’s Republic of China,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum). 4 See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule, 62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997). 5 See Initiation Notice. 2 Notice. For a summary of the product coverage comments and rebuttal responses submitted to the record for this investigation, and accompanying discussion and analysis of all comments timely received, see the Scope Decision Memorandum.6 Commerce is not preliminarily modifying the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. Methodology Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with section 731 of the Act. Export prices was calculated in accordance with section 772(a) of the Act. Constructed export prices was calculated in accordance with section 772(b) of the Act. Because China is a non- market economy within the meaning of section 771(18) of the Act, normal value (NV) was calculated in accordance with section 773(c) of the Act. In addition, because necessary information regarding the China-wide entity is not on the administrative record, Commerce has relied on facts available under section 776(a)(1) of the Act to determine the cash deposit rates assigned to the China-wide entity. Furthermore, pursuant to section 776(a) and (b) of the Act, because the China-wide entity did not cooperate to the best of its ability in responding to Commerce’s requests for data, Commerce preliminarily has relied upon facts otherwise available, with adverse inferences, for the China-wide entity. For a full description of the methodology underlying Commerce’s preliminary determination, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances In accordance with section 733(e) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.206, Commerce preliminarily determines that critical circumstances exist with respect to imports of QSP from 6 See Memorandum, “Certain Quartz Surface Products from the People’s Republic of China: Scope Comments Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary Determination” (Scope Decision Memorandum), dated September 14, 2018. 3 China for the mandatory questionnaire respondents (i.e., CQ International,7 Foshan Yixin Stone Co., Ltd. (Yixin Stone), and Guangzhou Hercules Quartz Stone Co., Ltd. (Hercules Quartz)), all non-individually-examined companies receiving a separate rate, and the China-wide entity. For a full description of the methodology and results of Commerce’s critical circumstances analysis, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. Combination Rates In the Initiation Notice,8 Commerce stated that it would calculate exporter/producer combination rates for the respondents that are eligible for a separate rate in this investigation. Policy Bulletin 05.1 describes this practice.9 For a list of the respondents that established eligibility for their own separate rates and the exporter/producer combination rates applicable to these respondents, see Appendix III. Preliminary Determination Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated weighted-average dumping margins exist: 7 Commerce preliminarily determines that Suzhou Colorquartzstone New Material Co.,Ltd./Shanghai Meiyang Stone Co., Ltd./C Q International Limited HK are a single entity and hereafter collectively referred to as “CQ International.” See Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 8 See Initiation Notice, 83 FR at 22617. 9 See 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 Web site at http://enforcement.trade.gov/policy/bull05-1.pdf. 4 Estimated Weighted- Cash Deposit Rate Average Exporter Producer (Adjusted for Dumping Subsidy Margin Offset) (percent) (percent) Foshan Yixin Stone Co., Ltd. Foshan Yixin Stone Co., Ltd. 341.29 314.10 QingYuan Yue Feng Decoration Foshan Yixin Stone Co., Ltd. 341.29 314.10 Material Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Hercules Quartz Guangzhou Hercules Quartz 289.62 262.43 Stone Co., Ltd. Stone Co., Ltd. Suzhou Colorquartzstone New Suzhou Colorquartzstone New Material Co., Ltd., Shanghai Material Co., Ltd. and Shanghai 242.10 242.10 Meiyang Stone Co., Ltd., CQ Meiyang Stone Co., Ltd. International Limited Producers Supplying the Non- Non-Individually Examined Individually-Examined Exporters Receiving Separate 290.86 263.67 Exporters Receiving Separate Rates (see Appendix III) Rates (see Appendix III) China-Wide Entity10 China-Wide Entity 341.29 314.10 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, 10 Commerce preliminarily determined that Foshan Hero Stone Co., Ltd., Foshan Quartz Stone Imp & Exp Co., Ltd., Hero Stone Co., Ltd., and Vemy Quartz Surface Co., Ltd. failed to establish their eligibility for a separate rate and, therefore, preliminarily determined that these companies are part of the China-wide entity. See Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 5 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 NV exceeds U.S. price, and, where appropriate, adjusted for export subsidies and estimated domestic subsidy pass- through 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 combination listed in the table; (2) for all combinations of Chinese producers/exporters of merchandise under consideration that have not established eligibility for their own separate rates, the cash deposit rate will be equal to