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U.S. Adds Fees for Chinese Ships in Effort to Boost Shipbuilding
The new fees are aimed at countering China’s dominance of the shipbuilding industry, but critics say they will simply raise prices for American consumers.
The Trump administration has announced the imposition of fees on Chinese-built and Chinese-owned vessels docking at US ports, marking a further escalation in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
The decision, revealed by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), follows a one-year investigation initially launched under the Biden administration.
“Ships and shipping are vital to American economic security and the free flow of commerce,” said Ambassador Greer. “The Trump administration’s actions will begin to reverse Chinese dominance, address threats to the US supply chain, and send a demand signal for US-built ships,” the USTR said in a statement.
Under the new policy, Chinese-built and owned ships will face fees calculated based on net tonnage per voyage into the US. The first phase of the policy will take effect in 180 days. A second phase, targeting foreign-built liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, is scheduled to be implemented in three years.
