According to US regulations, starting from October 14, A huge fee will be charged for all ships made in China or operated by China companies to enter the United States for the first time!
This trick looks quite awful, and an ordinary thousand-box cargo ship enters the port at once costs more than a million dollars.
But Trump never dreamed that China would make a preemptive move. Now it is the turn of those ports in the United States to panic because a large number of ships have begun to detour and not go to the United States at all?
In the past year, the U.S. shipyard built less than 10 merchant ships.
Look at the other side of China, more than 1,000 new ships underwater, this gap is really big.
Trump's heart is so anxious that American shipyards are basically closing down, workers have long since changed careers, and technology can't keep up.
Shipowners all over the world flew to China, and even the European Mediterranean shipping company did not follow the US, directly placing orders for 12 large ships in China.
The idea came up with by Trump's team, to put it bluntly, is to drive Chinese ships out of the US market with high port fees.They thought that this would bring American shipyards back to life.
But the problem is that the United States is now struggling to build a decent cargo ship. Not to mention the backward technology, the cost is ridiculously high. A ship of the same tonnage can be more than twice as expensive in the United States as in China.
When the news came, the global shipping circle exploded. Those large shipping companies rushed to meet and study the response, Masky, Middle and Long, these giants have adjusted the route.
All ships of Chinese ancestry diverted, preferring to take a long detour to ports in Canada or Mexico than to be slaughtered by the United States.
But Trump may not have expected that before his policies were implemented, China would make a proactive move. On September 29, China officially announced the decision to amend the "China International Shipping Regulations."
The new regulations clearly state: If anyone discriminates against Chinese ships, China has the right to take reciprocal or even double countermeasures!
U.S. ships carrying food, LNG ships carrying natural gas, and the Chinese ports will probably have to pay a high price.
What's more, China has other cards to play. The United States exports a large amount of soybeans and corn to China every year, and these agricultural products are basically shipped by sea.
If China would charge special charges for these goods, the American farmers would be miserable. It was not easy to grow, coupled with rising shipping costs, where are their agricultural products still competitive in the international market?
The United States in the years to develop shale gas, not easy to become a natural gas exporting power, China is one of their biggest buyers.
If China turns around and buys gas from Qatar or Australia, those American natural gas companies will panic.Investing so much money in liquidation facilities, you can’t go unstable, right?
China is also actively operating alongside the International Maritime Organization and the World Trade Organization, which violates the fundamental principles of international maritime transport.
China's legal team is already preparing materials and can take the United States to the international court at any time. Although litigation is time-consuming and laborious, it can at least occupy the commanding heights morally.
In the United States, the voice of opposition is growing.The importers have calculated the bills, and the port fees will eventually be transferred to the price of commodities.
People are going to increase their prices again when they buy things. Inflation is already enough, but this makes things worse. Retail associations and consumer interest groups are lobbying Congress in hopes of stopping this stupid policy.
According to shipping industry insiders, many companies are already studying new routes bypassing the United States.
For example, goods from Asia to Europe, some of which would pass through the west coast of the United States, now just go directly to the Suez Canal or Good Hope.
Not only can the United States fail to collect port fees, but even the original transshipment business has to be lost.
The development of China's shipbuilding industry over the years is really impressive. From design to construction, from steel plates to engines, the entire industrial chain is in China.
The degree of automation in the shipyard is increasing, and a hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo ship can go underwater for several months.The price is cheap, the quality is excellent, and the delivery is on time. Shipowners around the world recognize the Made in China brand.
The U.S. wants to revitalize the shipbuilding industry in this way is simply a “dead man’s dream”. shipbuilding is not carbuilding, it requires a large number of skilled workers, complete supporting industries, advanced technology accumulation.
America has lost all that, so how easy is it to get it?Even if there are shipyards who are willing to reopen, they will not be able to build a scale in ten to eight years.
October 14th is coming, is it hard to implement this policy, or to find a ladder below?
Execute, the U.S. port will suffer, the economy will be damaged; do not execute, the face will not hang.
After all, Trump really miscalculated this time. He thought that relying on the attraction of the American market, he could do whatever he wanted. But forget that now is the era of globalization, and no one can live without anyone else.
China has a huge manufacturing capacity, the United States has a huge consumer market, which should be mutually beneficial and win-win, not to make a zero-sum game.
At the end of the day, harm to selfishness, this "trick" except to make America itself embarrassed, really see no benefit!
Source of information:
Official website of the Ministry of Transport of China (September 29, 2025)-"Decision on Amending the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on International Maritime Transport"
U.S. Federal Maritime Commission Bulletin (September 15, 2025)-Port Fee Adjustment Policy Document
Los Angeles Port Authority Statistics (October 1, 2025) - Shipping traffic changes report
National Retailers Association Statement (September 30, 2025)-Position Paper on Port Fee Policy
International Maritime Organization briefing (October 2, 2025) – Preliminary assessment of discriminatory port charges