The US has revealed plans to impose port fees on Chinese ships to try to revive shipbuilding in the US and challenge China’s dominance of the industry.
From mid-October, Chinese ship owners and operators will be charged $50 per tonne of cargo with the fees increasing each year for the next three years.
There have been concerns that the measures would further disrupt global trade after US President Donald Trump’s raft of tariff policies, but the fee is less severe than originally suggested.
China’s commerce ministry expressed dissatisfaction and opposition after the US announced measures targeting China’s shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors.
In a statement, the Chinese ministry called on Washington to stop “shifting blame” and correct its “wrong” practice as soon as possible.
“China will closely monitor relevant developments from the US side and will resolutely take necessary measures to safeguard its own interests,” the statement added.
A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said the fees will raise prices for American consumers and “will not revitalise the US shipbuilding industry”.
The US Trade Representative (USTR) said: “China has largely achieved its dominance goals, severely disadvantaging US companies, workers and the US economy”.
Fees on Chinese vessel owners and operators of ships built in China will be based on the weight of their cargo, how many containers they carry or the number of vehicles onboard.
For affected bulk vessels, the fee will be based on the weight of their cargo, while the charge for container ships will depend on how many containers a vessel is carrying.
The $50 per tonne of cargo will rise by $30 a tonne each year for the next three years. Fees on Chinese-built ships will start at $18 a tonne or $120 per container and also rise over the next three years.
Non-US built ships carrying cars will be charged $150 per vehicle. The fee will be applied once per voyage on affected ships and not more than five times a year.
The USTR also decided not to impose fees based on how many Chinese-built ships are in a fleet or based on prospective orders of Chinese ships, as it had originally proposed.
Empty vessels that arrive at US ports to carry bulk exports like coal or grain are exempted.
Vessels that move goods between American ports as well as from those ports to Caribbean islands and US territories are also exempted from rules, as are US and Canadian ships that call at ports in the Great Lakes.
The fees are much lower than a plan floated in February to charge up to $1.5 million for each American port a Chinese ship visits.
The USTR said a second phase of actions will begin in three years to favour US-built ships carrying liquified natural gas (LNG). These restrictions will rise incrementally over the following 22 years.
The announcement came as global trade is already being disrupted by Trump’s trade tariffs, experts have said.
Cargoes originally destined for ports in the US from China are instead being redirected to European ports, a trade group said.
Businesses have warned this will raise prices for US consumers.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed taxes of up to 145 per cent on imports from China. Other countries are facing a blanket US tariff of 10pc until July.
His administration said this week that when the new tariffs are added on to existing ones, the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245pc.
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