China Follows US in Continuing Suspension of Fees on Shipping

Chinese officials confirmed on Monday, November 9, that they would be extending a suspension of port fees on U.S. shipping interests after the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office had previously announced a similar move. The reciprocal action is part of a larger effort between the two countries to reach broad trade agreements.

China’s Ministry of Transport announced the continued suspension of special port fees and a planned investigation into shipping and shipbuilding. It said the move, which lasts two months to January 10, 2027, was in the interest of the eight round of trade consultations between China and the United States. It said it would continue to defer the collection of special port charges on ships linked to the United States.

In October 2025, the United States implemented its Section 301 fees on ships operated by Chinese companies calling at U.S. ports as well as all Chinese-built commercial shipping. It was an effort first begun by the Biden administration in response to an unfair trade claim filed by five American unions alleging China was subsidizing and unfairly supporting its shipbuilding industry. The USTR, after a lengthy investigation, agreed that China was engaged in unfair trade practices to support the development of its shipbuilding industry.

Chinese officials said the United States was trying to blame China for years of failed policy and a lack of investment in its shipbuilding industry. Chinese shipyards, however, built a large lead in the global industry, taking as much as 70 percent of the recent global orders.

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