Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Determinations: Melamine Institutional Dinnerware Products From Indonesia, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China (PRC)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[A-560-801, A-583-825, and A-570-844]

Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Determinations: Melamine

Institutional Dinnerware Products From Indonesia, Taiwan and the

People's Republic of China (PRC)

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Wojcik-Betancourt, Everett

Kelly, or David J. Goldberger, Office of Antidumping Investigations,

Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and

Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20230; telephone (202) 482-

0629, (202) 482-4194, or (202) 482-4136, respectively.

POSTPONEMENT OF PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION: We have determined that

respondent parties to these proceedings are cooperating, thus far, in

these investigations. We also have determined that all cases are

extraordinarily complicated because of the issues raised. The PRC

investigation involves a legal issue of first impression

[[Page 30220]]

regarding whether the MNC provision, section 773(d) of Tariff Act of

1930, as amended by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1930 (the Act),

is applicable in an NME investigation. Also, in the Taiwanese

investigation petitioners are alleging that one of the Taiwanese

respondents has established an export platform in the PRC involving the

PRC company that is the subject of the MNC allegation. In the

Indonesian investigation an allegation of an affiliation between the

sole Indonesian respondent and its sole U.S. customer will require the

Department to analyze the complex element of control, as set forth in

newly amended section 771(33) of the Act on affiliated parties. In

addition, the Indonesian and Taiwanese investigations, and possibly the

PRC investigation, present complex model-matching issues involving

significant product differences which will require substantial analysis

of multiple products within the class or kind of merchandise under

investigation. As a result of the novel and complex issues in these

three investigations, the Department needs an additional time to fully

analyze these issues. Accordingly, pursuant to section 733(c)(1)(B) of

the Act, we are postponing the date of the preliminary determinations

as to whether sales of melamine institutional dinnerware products from

Indonesia, Taiwan and the PRC have been made at less than fair value

for additional 30 days (i.e., until Wednesday, August 14, 1996).

This notice is published pursuant to section 733(2) of the Act.

Dated: June 6, 1996.

Barbara R. Stafford,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Investigations, Import Administration.

[FR Doc. 96-15097 Filed 6-13-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P