Preliminary
China's counter-attack is becoming more and more stable and fierce, this counter-attack directly costs the shipbuilding industry "half the life"!
China announces a "special port fee for ships" on American ships! This is not a simple charge, but a "precise counterattack" against the previous US tax policy on Chinese ships.
This counterattack played a decisive role, directly dealing a fatal blow to the dying shipbuilding industry in the United States!
Unilateral action by the United States
From October 14th, the United States will begin to charge Chinese ships, and the scale of this policy will gradually increase. Ranging from $50 to $140.
Many people may think that the United States is doing this just to pay for Chinese ships, otherwise the United States is doing it to save its shipbuilding industry.
In recent years, the U.S. shipbuilding industry has continued to slump, almost ranking at the bottom of the ranking of shipbuilding countries. Even the warships needed by the U.S. Navy are difficult to deliver.
To alleviate this situation, the United States has come up with such a “sanctional” way of self-help, increasing the competitiveness of the United States in the international shipping industry!
As the cost of ships in China increases, transportation costs will increase, which will bring about a decline in business, and then the United States will take advantage of the opportunity to enter!
China's "fatal" counterattack
If the U.S. charges Chinese ships for the sake of protecting its shipbuilding industry, China’s response could be said to be “stable and harsh.”
On October 10, China's Ministry of Transport issued an announcement announcing that starting from October 14,"special port fees for ships" will be levied on U.S. ships.
According to the announcement, the cost will increase year by year according to the tonnage of ships, and by 2028 the cost per ton will be up to 1120 yuan.In other words, China's charges on U.S. ships and the U.S. charges on Chinese ships are completely "reciprocal".
First, the Ministry of Transportation of China clearly pointed out that the U.S. tariff policy is an embodiment of "unilateralism" and "protectionism", which not only harms the interests of China's maritime industry, but also disrupts the stability of the global supply chain.
China’s response is to make the United States understand that international trade cannot be won by oppression and unilateral tariffs.
Who is the winner.
China's shipbuilding industry has long become the mainstay of the global shipping market.
The data shows, In 2023, China's shipbuilding production accounted for more than 50% of the global total, and the share of new orders reached 61.4% in 2024.
And the U.S. shipbuilding industry, has no glory of the past, the international market share is constantly shrinking. 19.1%of merchant ship tonnage, The U.S. shipping market share fell from 2.32% in 2005 to 1.54%.
This war of charges, which appears to be the U.S. and China's rivalry on the surface, is in fact a "big laundry" in the global shipping pattern.
While the U.S. is trying to revitalize the shipbuilding industry by imposing tariffs, China’s strong response has undoubtedly broken this “repressive strategy.”
You might ask, can a single port fee change the global shipping pattern?
Because behind this game, it involves the distribution of interests in the global shipping industry chain, and the victory or defeat of either party will affect the future development trend of global shipping.
Fees in the United States are equivalent to "self-harm"
Many people believe that the charging policy implemented by the United States is only to make Chinese ships pay "obediently" or force China to give up some market share. However, the truth is not that simple.
The U.S. charging policy is like a "double-edged sword." Although it may have an impact on some China's ships in the short term, in the long run, the "diversification" of the global shipping market determines whether unilateral actions by either party are unlikely to completely change the landscape.
In the global shipping industry, for example, China has dominated, with 95 percent of the world’s containers controlled by China, and 80 percent of the shore bridge lifts also coming from Chinese companies.
Under such circumstances, it is almost impossible for the United States to completely crowd out China ships by charging fees for China ships.
In fact, it may aggravate the instability of the global shipping market and affect the United States 'own trade interests.
"Fairness" and "Justice"
The U.S. attempts to “press” China through tariffs to make concessions on the international maritime market revealed the U.S. desire to control the global economic order.
For China, this game is not just as simple as "revenge". It is defending the "fairness and justice" of the international shipping market.
If the U.S. can put pressure on China through tariffs, other countries will likely follow the U.S. approach in the future, triggering a collapse of the international trade order.
Therefore, China's counterattack is precisely to maintain the stability and fairness of global trade.
Through "reciprocal" fees, China has sent a clear signal to the United States: in international trade, no party can unilaterally set up barriers to coerce other countries into making concessions.
The order of the international shipping market should be based on fairness, cooperation and mutual trust.
conclusion
This "fee war" is not the end, but the beginning of a new round of games. Judging from this "fee war", the United States will inevitably suffer a fatal blow.
China's production costs are much lower than the U.S., and shipbuilding technology is ahead of the U.S. At the same ship fee price, the U.S. shipbuilding industry is about to crumble, while China is steaming!
Even if China raises its fees, it is still competitive internationally! On the other hand, the United States is miserable, and it may directly destroy the American shipbuilding industry!
China is one of the world’s largest ships landing countries, leaving China, and the world’s maritime trade is almost paralyzed.