China to Impose Retaliatory Port Fees on US Ships

Amid escalating maritime trade tensions, China’s Ministry of Transport has announced new special port fees targeting US-owned, US-operated, and US-built vessels beginning Oct. 14, 2025, in response to the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) Section 301 investigation and subsequent measures against China’s maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding industries.

Beijing accused Washington of “seriously violating the principles of international trade” and breaching the China-US Maritime Shipping Agreement, claiming the US measures “cause serious damage to maritime trade between China and the United States.”

Under the new directive, approved by the State Council, China’s maritime authorities will collect special port fees from vessels meeting any of the following criteria: owned or operated by US companies, organizations, or individuals; owned or operated by entities in which US interests hold 25% or more equity or voting rights; flying the US flag; and built in the United States.

The fees will be charged per voyage, with a progressive four-stage rate schedule:

• US$56 per net ton from Oct. 14, 2025

• US$90 per net ton from April 17, 2026

• US$124  per net ton from April 17, 2027

• US$157 per net ton from April 17, 2028

Ships calling at multiple Chinese ports during the same voyage will pay only once, and no vessel will be subject to the fee for more than five voyages per year.

Political Reactions and Escalation

US President Donald Trump, on his Truth Social account, condemned China’s response, describing it as “very hostile” and warning of financial countermeasures, including a massive tariff increase on Chinese products. He accused Beijing of attempting to “hold the world captive” through export controls on rare earths and strategic minerals, and hinted that the US could leverage its own “stronger monopoly positions” in retaliation.

Trump also said he might cancel a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming APEC Summit in South Korea, calling Beijing’s actions a “sinister and hostile move.”

The Chinese move follows the USTR’s April 17, 2025, announcement of new measures under Section 301 of the US Trade Act, which found that China employs non-market policies to dominate global maritime and shipbuilding sectors. The decision was the outcome of a year-long investigation initiated after a petition from five major US labor unions, who argued that Chinese subsidies and industrial practices have distorted global competition.

“These actions will begin to reverse Chinese dominance, address threats to US supply chains, and send a demand signal for US-built ships,” says US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.