China introduced rare-earth new rules, Trump to impose 100% tariffs, a new round of Sino-U.S. trade war may start again, sensitive moment, the Chinese side to the U.S. ships tariffs and other port charges, at the same time, China officially issued the 6th order, involving 5 Korean companies, Trump acknowledged calm, and the reality is panic.
So, why did China attack South Korea? What signal does this send to those allies of the United States?
In April, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a 301 investigation measure targeting China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries, when it stipulated that additional port charges should be levied on Chinese ships, and the start date was set for October 14.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection regulations released on October 3, the tariffs are classified by ship type: Chinese-owned or operated ships will be charged $50 per net tonne, gradually increasing to $140 from 2026 to 2028; Chinese-built ships will be charged $18 per net tonne or $120 per container, rising to $33 and $250 in 2028 respectively; and non-U.S.-built car ships will be charged $14 per net tonne.
The costs must be paid three working days before the ship arrives in the first U.S. port, and vessels who do not pay on time will face the risk of refusal to unload or delayed unloading, which directly impacts the cost of Sino-U.S. maritime trade.
Affected by this, the world's major shipping alliances have begun to adjust their strategies. The PA Alliance and the GEMINI Alliance have announced the suspension of some routes and reduced the number of China ships calling at U.S. ports through ship deployment. COSCO Shipping Group has said it will maintain normal operation of U.S. line services.
In the face of the discriminatory measures taken by the United States, China's Ministry of Transport simultaneously issued the "Implementation Measures for Collecting Special Port Fees for American Ships" on October 14th, marking the official launch of the "price increase" to the United States. There are ten measures, which are formulated in accordance with the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on International Shipping, and clarify the scope, standards and implementation rules of charges.
The fee covers five categories of vessels: vessels owned by U.S. entities, vessels operated by U.S. entities, vessels owned or operated by U.S. entities holding 25% or more, vessels hanging under U.S. flag and vessels built by the U.S., only relevant vessels built by China, aircrafts repaired in ports and so on.
The tariff standard adopted a gradual upgrade model, the cost from the initial 400 yuan, in the next few years will gradually increase to 640 yuan, 880 yuan, 1120 yuan, and the same ship does not pay more than 5 flights in a year.
The payment process clearly requires the ship owner or agent to inform the maritime administrative agency of the country of construction, ownership, port to be called, etc. 7 days before the ship is expected to arrive in Hong Kong, and complete the payment. Ships that have not paid the fees will not be able to go through the import and export formalities.
The Ministry of Transport has made it clear that this move is a response to the discriminatory measures of the United States, aimed at safeguarding the development interests of China's shipping industry and the fair competition environment for international shipping.
On the same day that the new tariff rules entered into force, the Ministry of Commerce of China issued Ministry No. 6 of 2025 to take countermeasures against five relevant U.S. subsidiaries of the company, this decision was approved by the national anti-foreign sanctions coordination mechanism and made in accordance with the Anti-foreign sanctions law of the People's Republic of China and related implementation provisions, directly referring to the assistant of the U.S. side's 301 investigation.
The five companies on the counter-list, which are clearly prohibited by China's domestic organizations and individuals from making any transactions and cooperation with them, the Ministry of Commerce announced that these subsidiaries assisted the U.S. government in conducting relevant investigations, which have caused harm to China's sovereignty, security and development interests.
After the launch of China's series of counter-measures, the attitude of the United States has changed significantly. When China introduced the new rare earth regulations before, Trump reacted strongly, threatening to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods, which caused market concerns about the restart of the Sino-US trade war.
But before the announcement of Chinese measures on October 14, Trump openly expressed his willingness to reach a trade agreement with China, the tone clearly eased from before.At the same time, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent also released news to the outside, confirming that the meeting will be held as scheduled, in contrast to the U.S. side's previous tough gestures.
The chain reaction of the shipping market has emerged simultaneously. In addition to voyage cancellation and route adjustment, the redeployment of ship capacity has become a common action in the industry. Among the more than 80 container ships deployed by the GEMINI Alliance on the US line, there are less than 10 "China-built" ships, which can be replaced through internal deployment; Among the US-line ships of MSC, CMA and other companies, "Built in China" accounts for about 20% and 30% respectively, both of which are within the controllable range of capacity adjustment.
The person in charge of Haitong Futures Shipping Research pointed out that the current demand for the U.S. line is rapidly declining, and some voyages are seriously empty, which provides practical conditions for capacity adjustment and will not cause significant disturbance to the overall capacity of the U.S. line in the short term. However, the targeted pressure faced by China shipping companies is more prominent.
It is worth noting that the Chinese side has reserved room for dynamic adjustment in countermeasures, and the Ministry of Transportation has made clear in the tariff measures that the scope, standards and time of collection of special port charges for ships will be adjusted accordingly, reflecting the flexibility of policy implementation.This flexible mechanism and the accuracy of the countermeasures of the Ministry of Commerce are complementary, both safeguarding the current legitimate rights and interests, and reserving policy space for subsequent response.
The progress in the sale of port assets by Hong Kong's richest Li Qing has added more background to the game in the maritime field, and the port assets intended to be sold include a strategically important Panama port, the buyer is the U.S. Belgrade Group, the transaction is still in a standstill.
The U.S. has chosen to impose port charges on Chinese ships at this time, which is interpreted by the outside world as an attempt to pressure through the maritime field to create favorable conditions for potential port asset acquisitions and further strengthen the impact on China's maritime trade channels.
From tariff threats caused by rare-earth new regulations, to counter-conflict triggered by shipping charges, the Sino-US economic and trade interaction in October 2025 presents a short-term cycle of "friction-response-softening".China's counter-measures always follow the statutory procedures, the tariff measures of the Ministry of Transportation are formulated in accordance with the International Maritime Regulations, the Commerce Ministry's counter-conflict orders strictly invoke the anti-foreign sanctions law, each measure is based on safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests.
Trump's shift from threatening to increase taxes to expressing willingness to negotiate reflects the actual impact of China's countermeasures, and the upcoming Sino-US meeting will become a key window to test whether the positions of both sides have truly shifted to pragmatism.
Under the global economic and trade landscape, every policy interaction between China and the United States affects the nerves of the industrial chain. The US port fee policy and China's countermeasures not only affect the operating strategies of shipping companies in the two countries, but also have spillover effects on the stability of global supply chains.
In this smoke-free confrontation, China has demonstrated its firm stance in safeguarding its own interests through clear policy signals and accurate implementation efforts, while Trump's attitude shift with the US meeting's promise, whether it can push the situation toward the direction of rational consultation, remains to be tested.
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