Some time ago, the United States announced that it would impose additional port fees on ships built in China, which will be officially implemented on October 14. The United States says this is to "revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry," but everyone knows that this is just an excuse, because data shows that the number of U.S. merchant ships built in 2024 will be less than 10, and this will not revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry. It is completely piracy.
Until now, the U.S. side has remained a fog to the rules of Trump’s policy, not knowing how to implement and implement them specifically. Just before the U.S. barrel fell, China initiated its first countermeasures. Recently, China announced the decision to amend the People’s Republic of China’s International Maritime Regulations, which clearly stated that any country or region would take discriminatory measures against operators, ships or crew of China’s maritime transport and its auxiliary business, and China would take the necessary countermeasures.
Some people say that this measure has little impact on the United States. After all, the United States does not have many ships, and China has a large proportion of ships. If we really charge each other extra, China will suffer even more. However, if China expands its "American background" to financing, the US market or the ship leasing industry for US companies, the scope of attack will be much wider and the damage will be greater. Moreover, this U.S. approach will only push up global shipping costs and disrupt supply chains. U.S. traders will eventually pay for the additional costs and harm the rights and interests of U.S. consumers.
This reminds me of the fact that before the U.S. Belgrade Group acquired Li Keqiang Port Group, a transaction involving 43 ports in 23 countries, the company and the White House had a close relationship, and if they really succeeded in the acquisition, it was likely that they reworked the port policies of other countries operating in the U.S. and charged additional charges on Chinese ships alone. This is a matter of national security and interests, which is why the state was to intervene in the transaction. Recently, the Washington Post also publicly that someone wanted to test a comprehensive and comprehensive sanction to China, and the "One Belt and One Road" initiative covered 150 countries, and the U.S. could quickly seize these ports and other infrastructure.
In the end, China-U.S. maritime power game is the core topic of the current global geopolitics. The U.S. since the period of the Cold War has proposed the "16 sea throat" strategy, is still the cornerstone of its global hegemony. while China's "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" layout, gradually breaking the U.S. monopoly on key navigation routes. In recent years, China-U.S. game in the port area is intense, the U.S. through the "clean network" program and technology blockade attempts to curb the development of China's smart ports, while China's 5G, AI scheduling and other technologies have led the U.S. generation. And the U.S. maritime power's strong position is based on strong naval power.