On the same day – October 14 – that U.S. Trade Representative fees are to be levied on Chinese-owned or operated vessels calling at American ports, China intends to impose almost identical fees on all ships built in the United States or flying the US flag.
Such shipping lines would be subjected to a per net ton fee per voyage when they dock in Chinese ports, China’s Ministry of Transport said today. Carriers likely impacted could include Matson, APL and Maersk Line Limited.
The fees would start at about $56 per ton this year and rise to $157 over the next three years. The US program is $50 per net ton for Chinese-owned or operated vessels and the higher of $18 per net ton or $120 per container for vessels built in China operated by foreign companies.
Referring to the US fees, the Chinese government said: “This seriously violates the relevant principles of international trade and the China-US Maritime Shipping Agreement, and causes serious damage to maritime trade between China and the United States.”
It was in April 2025 that the USTR announced planned port fees in response to its finding that China is attempting to unfairly dominate global shipping. It alleged that China has taken a series of systematic steps to establish its shipbuilding dominance. China retorted by affirming that the US was attempting to blame China for long-standing problems and a historic decline in the US shipbuilding industry.
(Photo of Matson vessel)