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Twist Ties With Bows Fall Under AD Order on Chinese Twist Ties, Commerce Says

Several of U.S. importer Essential Ribbons’ twist ties with attached bows, made to hold bags closed or bundles together, are covered by the antidumping duty order on twist ties from China, Commerce ruled Nov. 27 in a scope ruling.

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The AD order covers all twist ties except those that come either packaged with bags for sale or as part of the packaging of an imported product, Commerce said. It said the twist tie components of Essential Ribbons’ merchandise were covered by the order.

The importer argued the AD order didn't mention decorations. It said adding the bow “alters the nature of the article” because their products are made of two separate components -- the twist tie and the bow -- rather than just one. The bow, in fact, was the more dominant piece because it cost more than the twist tie component, it said. It also said its products were classified under a subheading in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule not mentioned in the order.

Commerce said it did find that the scope and primary sources only discussed single-component products. It said it therefore had to determine whether the bows would prevent the overall products from being covered in the order. The language of the scope order only provided two exclusions, however, and neither applied to Essential Ribbons’ twist ties, Commerce said.