Notice2025-16553

Slag Pots From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published
August 28, 2025

Issuing agencies

Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of slag pots from the People's Republic of China (China). The period of investigation is January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 165 (Thursday, August 28, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 165 (Thursday, August 28, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41986-41988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-16553]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-570-197]


Slag Pots From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative 
Countervailing Duty Determination

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that 
countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters 
of slag pots from the People's Republic of China (China). The period of 
investigation is January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

DATES: Applicable August 28, 2025.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samuel Brummitt or T.J. Worthington, 
AD/CVD Operations, Office III, Enforcement and Compliance, 
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-7851 
or (202) 482-4567, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On April 3, 2025, Commerce published its Preliminary Determination 
in the Federal Register.\1\ Because no comments were submitted by 
interested parties, we have adopted our Preliminary Determination for 
purposes of this final determination. Accordingly, no decision 
memorandum accompanies this Federal Register notice. Commerce conducted 
this investigation in accordance with section 705 of the Tariff Act of 
1930, as amended (the Act).
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    \1\ See Slag Pots from the People's Republic of China: 
Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, 90 FR 
14625 (April 3, 2025) (Preliminary Determination), and accompanying 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum (PDM).
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Scope of the Investigation

    The products covered by this investigation are slag pots from 
China. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, 
see Appendix.

Scope Comments

    In the Preliminary Scope Memorandum, we set aside a period of time 
for parties to raise issues regarding product coverage (i.e., scope) in 
scope-specific case or other written comments on scope issues.\2\ We 
received no comments from interested parties on the scope of the 
investigation as it appeared in the Preliminary Scope Memorandum. 
Therefore, we made no changes to the scope of the investigation.\3\
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    \2\ See Memorandum, ``Preliminary Scope Decision Memorandum,'' 
dated March 27, 2025 (Preliminary Scope Memorandum).
    \3\ Id. at Appendix.
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Verification

    Because the mandatory respondents in this investigation did not 
provide information requested by Commerce, and Commerce determined that 
the mandatory respondents were uncooperative, no verification was 
conducted.

All-Others Rate

    As discussed in the Preliminary Determination, Commerce based the 
selection of the all-others rate on the countervailable subsidy rates 
established for the mandatory respondents, in accordance with 703(d) of 
the Act.\4\ Consistent with section 705(c)(5)(A)(ii) of the Act, we 
made no changes to the methodology used to

[[Page 41987]]

select the all-others rate for the final determination; specifically, 
we have assigned the sole rate assigned to the mandatory respondents to 
all other companies.
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    \4\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 14625, 14626.
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Final Determination

    Commerce determines that the following estimated countervailable 
subsidy rates exist:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Subsidy rate
                       Company                            (percent  ad
                                                            valorem)
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Chaeng Great Wall Steel Casting Co. Ltd..............           * 226.16
UMECC Beijing Equipment Inc. Ltd.....................           * 226.16
Cast-Con Engineering GmbH & Co. KG...................           * 226.16
Changzhou Jinyuan Machinery Equipment Ltd. Co........           * 226.16
Dawang Metals Co. Ltd................................           * 226.16
GVA Krefeld GmbH.....................................           * 226.16
Liaoning Mineral and Metallurgy Group Co. Ltd........           * 226.16
Luoyang Zhongtai Industries Co., Ltd.................           * 226.16
Shantou Huaxing Metallurgical Equipment Co. Ltd......           * 226.16
Tangshan Sinya International Trade Co., Ltd..........           * 226.16
All Others...........................................             226.16
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Rate is based on facts available with adverse inferences.

Disclosure

    Normally, Commerce discloses to interested parties the calculations 
performed in final determination within five days of any public 
announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days 
of the date of publication of this final determination in the Federal 
Register, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b). However, the program 
rates assigned as AFA in the Preliminary Determination are unchanged, 
there are no additional calculations performed in this final 
determination and, therefore, there are no calculations to disclose.

Suspension of Liquidation

    As a result of our Preliminary Determination and pursuant to 
sections 703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act, we instructed U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation of entries of 
subject merchandise from China that were entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption, on or after April 3, 2025, the date of 
publication of the Preliminary Determination in the Federal Register. 
In accordance with section 703(d) of the Act, we instructed CBP to 
discontinue the suspension of liquidation of all entries of subject 
merchandise entered or withdrawn from warehouse, on or after August 1, 
2025 but to continue the suspension of liquidation of all entries of 
subject merchandise on or before July 31, 2025.
    If the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issues a final 
affirmative injury determination, we will issue a countervailing duty 
order, reinstate the suspension of liquidation under section 706(a) of 
the Act, and require a cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties 
for entries of subject merchandise in the amounts indicated above. If 
the ITC determines that material injury, or threat of material injury, 
does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated, and all estimated 
duties deposited or securities posted as a result of the suspension of 
liquidation will be refunded or canceled.

ITC Notification

    In accordance with section 705(d) of the Act, we intend to notify 
the ITC of our final affirmative determination that countervailable 
subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of slag pots 
from China. Because the final determination in this proceeding is 
affirmative, in accordance with section 705(b) of the Act, the ITC will 
make its final determination as to whether the domestic industry in the 
United States is materially injured, or threatened with material 
injury, by reason of imports of slag pots from China no later than 45 
days after our final determination. In addition, we are making 
available to the ITC all nonprivileged and nonproprietary information 
related to this investigation. We will allow the ITC access to all 
privileged and business proprietary information in our files, provided 
the ITC confirms that it will not disclose such information, either 
publicly or under an administrative protective order (APO), without the 
written consent of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and 
Compliance.
    If the ITC determines that material injury or threat of material 
injury does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated and all cash 
deposits will be refunded or canceled, as Commerce determines to be 
appropriate. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist, 
Commerce intends to issue a countervailing duty order directing CBP to 
assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, countervailing duties on 
all imports of the subject merchandise that are entered, or withdrawn 
from warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the 
suspension of liquidation, as discussed above in the ``Continuation of 
Suspension of Liquidation'' section.

Administrative Protective Order (APO)

    In the event that the ITC issues a final negative injury 
determination, this notice will serve as the only reminder to parties 
subject to an APO of their responsibility concerning the destruction of 
proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.305(a)(3). Timely written notification of the return/destruction of 
APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby 
requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO 
is a violation which is subject to sanction.

Notification to Interested Parties

    We are issuing and publishing this final determination in 
accordance with sections 705(d) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 
351.210(c).

    Dated: August 25, 2025.
Abdelali Elouaradia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

Scope of the Investigation

    The merchandise covered by the investigation is slag pots with a 
nominal capacity of 65 cubic feet to 1200 cubic feet regardless of 
shape, form, or finish.
    Slag pots are load bearing devices typically formed as a curved 
shell or bowl-shaped container. Slag pots are metallurgical goods 
typically produced either using a casting

[[Page 41988]]

process or a fabrication process (e.g., welding) and may include a 
ceramic refractory coating, heat treatment or various finishes in 
order to handle high temperature slag. Slag pots may contain 
integral features or attachments including (1) legs (or a stand) and 
(2) pivotal mounting hooks or brackets. Legs (or a stand) are a 
fixed or detachable support structure which allows the slag pot to 
be securely positioned upright on a surface when not being lifted or 
transported and may also keep the slag pot off the ground and allow 
for air cooling. The pivotal mounting hooks and brackets are 
specialized attachment points (such as lifting lugs or trunnions) 
that allow the slag pot to be securely lifted and transported by a 
crane or lifting device, or that enable the slag pot to swing or 
rotate while remaining attached to the lifting mechanism. The 
merchandise covered by this investigation includes all 
aforementioned attachments of a fully assembled slag pot, regardless 
of whether shipped assembled or unassembled.
    Slag pots are included within the scope whether finished or 
unfinished, whether imported individually or with other subject or 
non-subject merchandise, or whether assembled with attachments or 
unassembled. Finishing includes, but is not limited to, arc washing, 
welding, grinding, shot blasting, heat treatment, machining, and 
assembly of various parts.
    The country of origin for slag pots whether fully assembled, 
unfinished or finished, is the country where the slag pot was cast 
or forged. Subject merchandise includes slag pots that have been 
further processed or further assembled in a third country. Further 
processing and further assembly include, but is not limited to, arc 
washing, welding, grinding, shot blasting, heat treatment, painting, 
coating, priming, machining, and assembly of attachments.
    Slag pots subject to the investigation are specified within the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under 
subheadings 7309.00.0090 and 8454.20.0080. The slag pot attachments 
covered by the scope of this investigation may enter under HTSUS 
subheadings 7316.00.0000, 7325.10.0080, 7325.99.1000, 7325.99.5000, 
and 7326.19.0080. The HTSUS subheading is provided for convenience 
and customs purposes only. The written description of the scope of 
the investigation is dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2025-16553 Filed 8-27-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on August 28, 2025.

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