# Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023-2024
**AGENCY:**
Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
**SUMMARY:**
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that RZBC Group Co., Ltd., RZBC Co., Ltd., RZBC Import & Export Co., Ltd., and RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd. (collectively, RZBC) did not make sales of citric acid and certain citrate salts (citric acid) from the People's Republic of China (China) at less than normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR) May 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results of review.
**DATES:**
Applicable September 11, 2025.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Luke Caruso, AD/CVD Operations, Office IV, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-2081.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
**Background**
On May 29, 2009, Commerce published in the *Federal Register* the antidumping duty order on citric acid from China. [^1] On May 2, 2024, Commerce published in the *Federal Register* a notice of opportunity to request an administrative review of the *Order.*[^2] On July 5, 2024, based on a timely request for an administrative review, Commerce initiated an administrative review of the *Order.*[^3] The administrative review covers a single mandatory respondent, RZBC. [^4]
[^1]*See Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts from Canada and the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Orders,* 74 FR 25703 (May 29, 2009) ( *Order* ).
[^2]*See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Opportunity to Request Administrative Review and Join Annual Inquiry Service List,* 89 FR 35778 (May 2, 2024).
[^3]*See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews,* 89 FR 55567 (July 5, 2024).
[^4]*See* Memorandum, “Respondent Selection,” dated September 6, 2024.
On December 9, 2024, Commerce tolled certain deadlines in this administrative review by ninety days. [^5] Pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), on April 24, 2025, Commerce extended the deadline for these preliminary results until September 5, 2025. [^6] For a complete description of the events that occurred since the initiation of this review, *see* the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. [^7] 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.* A list of topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included in an appendix to this notice. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be found at *https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.*
[^5]*See* Memorandum, “Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings”, dated December 9, 2024.
[^6]*See* Memorandum, “Extension of Deadline for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review,” dated January 4, 2024.
[^7]*See* Memorandum, “Decision Memorandum for Preliminary Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review of Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts from the People's Republic of China; 2023-2024,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
**Scope of the Order**
The product covered by this *Order* is citric acid from China. A full description of the scope of the *Order* is contained in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. [^8]
[^8]*Id.*
**China-Wide Entity**
Commerce's policy regarding the conditional review of the China-wide entity applies to this administrative review. [^9] Under this policy, the China-wide entity will not be under review unless a party specifically requests, or Commerce self-initiates, a review of the entity. Because no party requested a review of the China-wide entity in this review, the entity is not under review, and the entity's assessment rate ( *i.e.,* 156.87 percent) is not subject to change. [^10]
[^9]*See Antidumping Proceedings: Announcement of Change in Department Practice for Respondent Selection in Antidumping Duty Proceedings and Conditional Review of the Nonmarket Economy Entity in NME Antidumping Duty Proceedings,* 78 FR 65963 (November 4, 2013).
[^10]*See Order.*
**Methodology**
Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 751(a) of the Act. Export price has been calculated in accordance with section 772(a) of the Act, and NV was calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act. For a full description of the methodology underlying our conclusions, *see* the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
**Preliminary Results of the Administrative Review**
Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated weighted-average dumping margin exists for the administrative review covering the period May 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024:
| Exporter | Weighted-average dumping margin |
| --- | --- |
| RZBC Group Co., Ltd., RZBC Co., Ltd., RZBC Import & Export Co., Ltd., and RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd | 0.00 |
**Disclosure**
Commerce intends to disclose the calculations and analysis that it performed in these preliminary results of review to parties to the proceeding within five days of any public announcement of these preliminary results or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice in the *Federal Register* in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
**Public Comment**
Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(ii), we have modified the deadline for interested parties to submit case briefs to Commerce to not later than 21 days after the date of the publication of this notice. [^11] Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed no later than five days after the date for filing case briefs. [^12] Interested parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) a table of contents listing each issue addressed; and (2) a table of authorities. [^13]
[^11]*See* 19 CFR 351.309.
[^12]*See* 19 CFR 351.309(d); *see also Administrative Protective Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,* 88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29, 2023) ( *APO and Service Final Rule* ).
[^13]*See* 19 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2)
As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior proceedings we have encouraged interested parties to provide an executive summary of their briefs that should be limited to five pages total, including footnotes. In this review, we instead request that interested parties provide, at the beginning of their briefs, a public executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs. [^14] Further, we request that interested parties limit their executive summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We intend to use the executive summaries as the basis of the comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that we will issue for the final results in this administrative review. We request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the executive summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f). [^15]
[^14] We use the term “issue” here to describe an argument that Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and Decision Memorandum.
[^15]*See APO and Service Final Rule.*
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a written hearing request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, filed electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). Requests should contain: (1) the requesting party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of individuals from the requesting party that will attend the hearing and whether any of those individuals is a foreign national; and (3) a list of the issues the party intends to discuss at the hearing. Issues raised in the hearing by a party will be limited to those raised in the party's case and rebuttal briefs. An electronically filed hearing request must be received successfully in its entirety by Commerce's electronic records system, ACCESS, by 5 p.m. Eastern Time within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice.
**Final Results of Review**
Unless extended, Commerce intends to issue the final results of this review, including the results of its analysis of the issues raised in any written briefs, no later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h).
**Assessment Rates**
Upon issuing the final results, Commerce will determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review. [^16] For each individually examined respondent in this review whose weighted-average dumping margin in the final results of review is not zero or *de minimis* ( *i.e.,* less than 0.5 percent), Commerce intends to calculate importer/customer-specific assessment rates. [^17] Where the respondent reported reliable entered values, Commerce intends to calculate importer/customer-specific *ad valorem* assessment rates by aggregating the amount of dumping calculated for all U.S. sales to the importer/customer and dividing this amount by the total entered value of the merchandise sold to the importer/customer. [^18] Where the respondent did not report entered values, Commerce will calculate importer/customer-specific assessment rates by dividing the amount of dumping for reviewed sales to the importer/customer by the total quantity of those sales. Commerce will calculate an estimated *ad valorem* importer/customer-specific assessment rate to determine whether the per-unit assessment rate is *de minimis;* however, Commerce will use the per-unit assessment rate where entered values were not reported. [^19] Where an importer/customer-specific *ad valorem* assessment rate is not zero or *de minimis,* Commerce will instruct CBP to collect the appropriate duties at the time of liquidation. Where either the respondent's weighted average dumping margin is zero or *de minimis,* or an importer/customer-specific *ad valorem* assessment rate is zero or *de minimis,* Commerce will instruct CBP to liquidate appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties. [^20]
[^16]*See* 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).
[^17]*See Antidumping Proceedings: Calculation of the Weighted Average Dumping Margin and Assessment Rate in Certain Antidumping Proceedings: Final Modification,* 77 FR 8101 (February 14, 2012) ( *Final Modification* ).
[^18]*See* 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).
[^19]*Id.*
[^20]*See Final Modification,* 77 FR at 8103.
Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the *Federal Register* . If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired ( *i.e.,* within 90 days of publication). In accordance with section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act, the final results of this review shall be the basis for the assessment of antidumping duties on entries of merchandise covered by the final results of this review and for future deposits of estimated antidumping duties, where applicable.
**Cash Deposit Requirements**
The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the final results of this review for shipments of the subject merchandise from China entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) for the subject merchandise exported by the company listed above that has a separate rate, the cash deposit rate will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margin established in the final results of this administrative review (except, if the rate is zero or *de minimis,* then zero cash deposit will be required); (2) for previously investigated or reviewed Chinese and non-Chinese exporters not listed above that received a separate rate in a prior segment of this proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the existing exporter-specific rate; (3) for all Chinese exporters of subject merchandise that have not been found to be entitled to a separate rate, the cash deposit rate will be that for the China-wide entity; and (4) for all non-Chinese exporters of subject merchandise which have not received their own rate, the cash deposit rate will be the rate applicable to the Chinese exporter that supplied that non-Chinese exporter. These deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.
**Notification to Importers**
This notice serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping and/or countervailing duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this POR. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in Commerce's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.
**Notification to Interested Parties**
Commerce is issuing and publishing the preliminary results of this review in accordance with sections 751(a)(1)(B), 751(a)(3), and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(h) and 351.221(b)(4).
Dated: September 5, 2025.
Christopher Abbott,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
**Appendix**
**List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum**
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the *Order*
IV. Discussion of the Methodology
V. Adjustment Under Section 777A(f) of the Act
VI. Currency Conversion
VII. Recommendation