Vessels owned or operated by US firms and individuals — or those built in the United States or flying the US flag — will be charged additional port fees per voyage starting October 14, China’s transport ministry said.
The fees are a countermeasure against upcoming US port fees, the ministry said on Friday.
Also beginning October 14, ships built in China — or operated or owned by Chinese entities — will need to pay a fee at their first port of call in the United States. Fees could exceed $1 million for a ship carrying over 10,000 containers and may rise annually through 2028, according to analyst estimates.
Vessels owned or operated by a Chinese entity will face a flat fee of CNY80 per net tonnage per voyage to the US.
The US fees on China-linked vessels, following a probe by the US Trade Representative (USTR), are part of a broader effort to revive domestic shipbuilding and blunt China’s growing naval and commercial shipping power.
Over the past two decades, China has risen to the top of the global shipbuilding industry, with its largest shipyards handling both commercial and military projects.
The Chinese fees on US vessels could hurt the US less than the reciprocal US fees, which will impact China’s much larger shipping fleet.
"It is clearly discriminatory and severely damages the legitimate interests of China's shipping industry, seriously disrupts the stability of the global supply chain, and seriously undermines the international economic and trade order," the Chinese ministry said.
Last year, Chinese shipyards built more than 1,000 commercial vessels, while the US constructed fewer than 10, according to military and industry analysts.
For US vessels berthing at Chinese ports from October 14, the rate will be CNY400 ($56.13) per net tonne, the Chinese transport ministry said.
That will increase to CNY640 ($89.81) from April 17, 2026, and to CNY880 from April 17, 2027.
For vessels calling at Chinese ports from April 17, 2028, the charge will rise to CNY1,120 ($157.16) per net tonne.
Tensions between China and the US have deepened since September, as both superpowers struggle to move beyond their current trade tariff truce — a 90-day pause from August 11 that ends around November 9.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea at the end of October.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Kim Coghill)