Sino-US economic and trade relations, which were slightly eased after four rounds of negotiations, are facing the risk of repeated challenges and rising challenges.

In accordance with the International Maritime Regulations of the People's Republic of China, with the approval of the State Council, the Ministry of Transport issued the "Announcement of the Ministry of Transport on the special port charges for U.S. ships to collect ships" and decided to collect special port charges for U.S. ships from 14 October 2025, which is a legitimate measure to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese industry, enterprises and the fair competition environment of international shipping.

The picture shows a screenshot of the website of the Ministry of Transport

According to the Ministry of Commerce, on October 14, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce asked reporters about the recent announcement by the United States of restrictive measures such as tariffs on China. The spokesman said that the export control measures on rare-earth and other related objects are the legitimate practices of the Chinese government in accordance with laws and regulations to improve its own export control system. In view of the U.S. side, long-term widespread national security, abuse of export control, discriminatory practices against China.

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Hongleigh Global Thinking Centre (HLC) and deputy director of the Economic Policy Committee of the China Policy Science Research Association, said in an interview with the press that since this year, China and the United States have experienced four rounds of difficult negotiations, although they have failed to fundamentally reverse the situation of "double losses", but have achieved a lot of positive results.

China-US mutual port charges impact global shipping market

Xinhua news agency that the "U.S. ships collecting ships special port charges implementation measures" issued this time in ten articles, mainly including the formulation of the basis, the scope of collection, the standards of collection, the subject of collection, etc. further clarified the specific provisions for ships built by China, airborne ships repaired only in Chinese shipyards, and other ships recognized to be exempt from payment. The measures for the ship or its agents to notify the maritime management authorities before the ship arrives in the Chinese port, etc. The measures will be adjusted according to the situation.

On April 17, 2025, the Office of the United States Trade Representative issued 301 investigation measures for China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries. Starting from October 14, 2025, ships owned or operated by Chinese companies, Chinese-built ships, and Chinese-nationalized ships will be added. Charge port service fees. This move seriously violated WTO rules and the Sino-US maritime agreement, and caused serious damage to the maritime trade between China and the United States.

On October 13, Liu Daqi, spokesman for the General Administration of Customs and Chief of the Statistical Analysis Division, responded to media reporters' questions at the news conference at the National New Office, saying that the measures of the United States are typical unilateralism and protectionism, with a distinct discriminatory color. China's countermeasures are necessary passive defense actions, both to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of China's industry and enterprises, as well as the necessary measures to safeguard the fair competitive environment of the international shipping and shipbuilding market.

Zhou Mi, deputy director of the Institute of Americas and Oceania at the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, said in an interview with The Paper that the United States launched a "301 investigation" into China's shipbuilding and shipping industry on the grounds of so-called "national security" and levied the so-called port service fee. This premise is "very unreasonable" and there are also "many problems" in the basis for the levy. "The US's behavior will not only increase the unreasonable burden on enterprises, but also actually discriminate against China enterprises. China must make an appropriate response."

US imposes so-called port service fees on the grounds of "national security"

Zhou Mi said that as a global shipping power, the friction between China and the United States in this field is a huge challenge to the global shipping industry. "Because the compliance cost is very high, if an enterprise wants to do trade, the corresponding cost will inevitably rise, which will also be transmitted to the supply chain, bringing cost pressure to both buyers and sellers." At the same time, he analyzed that for shipping enterprises, in order to avoid possible risks, enterprises may also face the problem of adjusting the ownership structure, management mode and submitting more information and data.

It is difficult for the US to win China's "trust" by constantly "picking things up".

The game in the shipping sector is only part of the recent Sino-U.S. ongoing game in the economic and trade sector. On September 29, the U.S. Department of Commerce¡¯s Office of Industry and Security (BIS) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that revised the Export Management Regulations (EAR) to extend the entity list to the entity¡¯s controlling subsidiaries on the list.

Under the new rules, any entity, if at least 50 percent of its shares are owned by one or more entities on the entity list or the military end-user list (MEU List), will itself be automatically restricted by the "entity list" or "military end-user list".

On October 8, the United States once again "repeated the same trick" and included 15 China companies on the "Entity List" on the grounds of national security. Regarding this series of actions by the United States, China's Ministry of Commerce has repeatedly stated that the United States continues to generalize the concept of national security, abuse export control measures, abuse long-arm jurisdiction, and impose penetrating sanctions on many entities, including China companies. The US move seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and undermines the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains. China firmly opposes this.

On October 9, the Ministry of Commerce and Customs General Administration issued an announcement to implement export controls on relevant rare-earth goods. The British "Economist" magazine said that this provision was a response to the anger of the so-called "50% rule" of the United States, "China believes that the U.S. move violates the spirit of recent trade negotiations between the two countries."In the face of China's reasonable legitimate countermeasures, the U.S. again threatens to impose tariffs as a threat: On October 10, U.S. President Trump wrote on social platforms that it will impose tariffs of 100% on Chinese goods from November 1.

Xu Hongcai said that the recent heating up of Sino-US economic and trade tensions is caused by the constant "picking things up" by the United States. "The United States has been exercising long-arm jurisdiction over Chinese enterprises. This time, we are following the example of the United States and exercising controls on issues (such as rare earths). With the spear of a son, the shield of an attack." He said that China has repeatedly stressed that it does not restrict the export of civilian products, and China has taken into account both development and security considerations. "Since the United States has been using national security as an excuse to'stuck 'China, then China can also'treat others in their own way'."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said on October 12 that China, as a responsible major country, has always firmly safeguarded its national security and international common security, always adhered to the principle position of fairness, reason and non-discrimination, and prudently and moderately implemented export control measures.

Zhou Mi said that after the Madrid talks, the United States did not actively fulfill its commitments, but continued to pressure and restrict Chinese enterprises. These practices "hardly make us think that it can fulfill its commitments." He said that a series of practices by the United States have damaged the foundation of mutual trust between the two sides. "This discriminatory and repressive practice against China hardly makes us trust and is very detrimental to future cooperation between the two countries. I don't think these practices that undermine Sino-US economic and trade relations will achieve its desired goal, but will prevent China and the United States from reaching further agreement on economic and trade issues."

Mastering technological dominance, China "goes from passive to active"

Foreign media noted that in this regulation on rare earth, for the first time, the "China composition accounts for 0.1%" as the export threshold for foreign products, and the implementation of research and development of advanced process chips for military use and approval case by case.

The Economist said that China did not formulate this rule entirely out of considerations of confrontation with the United States.

The report said that China realized early that rare earths are "the best weapon in the era of economic warfare.""Therefore, China has always wanted to establish a regulatory framework to use them at the right time." The report pointed out that although such measures will inevitably increase compliance costs for technology companies in the supply chain, the new measures still seem to be preparation measures to deal with possible risks rather than confrontational upgrades. Data shows that China currently processes about 90% of the world's rare earths.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China has formulated related provisions in the latest regulatory rules, which marks China's "beginning to exercise the power to formulate the rules". Xi Jinping believes that the escalation of the trade conflict between China and the United States marks the entry of a new phase in the Sino-U.S. strategic game - the technological rules dominance competition is replacing traditional resources restrictions, and the past was the United States to formulate rules, we adhere to, right?

Xi Jinping also said that the relevant provisions put forward by the Chinese side, also taking into account development and security, and now we all put national security, supply chain security in a prominent position, then China has started to play a role in the right to formulate rules, technology dominance, is also our passive shift to proactive performance, it can be said that China is exploring a new paradigm of participation in global governance.

China-US strategic game enters a new phase (data map)

The Ministry of Commerce stated on October 12 that China, as a responsible major country, has always firmly safeguarded its own national security and international common security, always upheld a fair and reasonable principled position, and implemented export control measures prudently and appropriately. The Chinese government will conduct licensing review in accordance with laws and regulations, and grant licenses to applications that meet the regulations. At the same time, it will actively consider applying various facilitation measures such as general licensing and licensing exemption to effectively promote compliant trade. A spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce stressed that China's export control does not prohibit exports. As long as it is a compliant export application for civilian use, it can be approved, and relevant enterprises need not worry. The Chinese government will, as always, work with other countries to firmly safeguard world peace and stability in surrounding areas, and jointly ensure the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

He said that including the rare earth issue, China has been in the lawful management, continuously enriching the policy toolkit, China's commitment to international trade rules, the multilateral system has never changed, but on this basis, "we also take into account the relationship between development and security, which is to continue to adjust and optimize according to the dynamic environment."

On October 14, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, responding to a reporter's question, said that China's position on tariff war and trade war is consistent. Fight, go to the end; talk, the door is open. The spokesman pointed out that the United States cannot talk on the one hand and threaten to introduce new restrictions on the other side, which is not the right way to deal with China. China urges the United States to correct the wrong practices as soon as possible, make the sincerity of talks, go to the front with the Chinese side, take the important consensus of the two leaders' conversation as the lead, safeguard the difficult results of consultations, continue to play the role of the Sino-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism, resolve their concerns through dialogue, properly control differences, promote