China imposes port charges on US ships: global economic tensions
New Chinese port fees on US ships fuel global economic tensions, with Washington and Beijing in an unprecedented trade clash
China has started to apply the new regime of special port fees to ships owned or operated by US companies, organisations and individuals. The Chinese Ministry of Transport announced 10 implementation details in order to protect the interests of the Chinese shipbuilding industry, which is under pressure from similar measures decided by the US, also effective from today.
The special port charges for eligible US ships docking in Chinese ports will initially be 400 yuan (approximately $56) per net tonne, with gradual increases to 1,120 yuan scheduled from 17 April 2028. The measure also affects "ships operated by US entities, owned or managed by entities with US ownership or control of more than 25 per cent, US-flagged ships and US-built ships".
Overall, this is a mirror-image move of Washington's Section 301 decision against China's maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding industries in order to counter China's dominance in the sector. According to estimates by the US think tank Csis, in shipbuilding alone, the US has a 0.1% share of the world market compared to more than 50% for China. The Ministry of Transport has in recent days objected to the US move, accusing it of 'seriously violating the principles of international trade and the China-US Maritime Transport Agreement, and seriously undermining bilateral maritime trade'.
The US-China clash over rare earth exports
But the clash over ships and shipbuilding has to be seen in the context of the extremely tough global confrontation between the two superpowers, which has risen to a new level mainly due to Beijing's new limits on rare earth exports, which have sent US President Donald Trump into a rage.
Today, China, through the mouth of an anonymous spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, assures that it is ready to "fight to the end" in a trade war with the United States, regarding US President Donald Trump's threat on the imposition of further 100 per cent tariffs on made-in-China goods in response to Beijing's new clampdown on rare earth exports. "On the issue of tariffs and trade wars, China's position remains consistent: if you want to fight, we will fight to the end; if you want to negotiate, our door remains open."
