Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

US to impose fees on China-linked ships, urges allies to follow suit

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Reuters
  • 7 Mar 2025 12:33
4 Min Read

The United States' executive order against Chinese-flagged or built ships threatens allies to take similar measures or face retaliation.

Listen
  • x
  • President Donald Trump shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (AP)
    President Donald Trump shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (AP)

The United States is preparing to impose docking fees at its ports on any ship belonging to a fleet that includes Chinese-built or Chinese-flagged vessels, while also threatening allies to adopt similar measures or face potential retaliation, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a draft executive order.

US President Donald Trump's administration is crafting the order as part of efforts to revive domestic shipbuilding and curb China's so-called influence over the global shipping industry.

Addressing China's expanding maritime dominance and the decline in US naval readiness is one of the few issues where both Republican and Democratic lawmakers find common ground.

Chinese shipbuilders now account for over 50% of the global merchant vessel cargo capacity produced annually, a sharp rise from just 5% in 1999, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, overtaking shipbuilders in Japan and South Korea, while US shipbuilding, which peaked in the 1970s, now represents only a small fraction of global output.

The draft executive order, dated February 27 and reviewed by Reuters on Thursday, proposes levying fees on any vessel entering a US port if it is part of a fleet that includes Chinese-built or Chinese-flagged ships, regardless of the ship’s origin.

The document builds on a recent proposal by the US Trade Representative’s office to impose fees of up to $1.5 million on Chinese-built vessels docking at US ports.

However, the draft executive order does not specify a threshold, unlike the USTR proposal, which suggested applying fees when Chinese-built ships made up at least 25% of a fleet. It also does not define the exact fee amounts or how they would be calculated.

The measure could lead to significant financial burdens for major shipping companies, including China’s COSCO, Switzerland’s MSC, Denmark’s Maersk, and Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine, as well as operators transporting bulk food, fuel, and automobiles.

Related News

Tariffs as political weapons face pushback from India, Brazil: NYT

India scales back Russian crude imports amid US tariff pressure

Earlier this week, MSC CEO Soren Toft indicated that the world’s largest container carrier might reduce its port calls in the US to minimize exposure to the new charges.

The draft order also directs US officials to press allies and partners to implement similar restrictions or risk facing retaliatory actions.

Additionally, it proposes tariffs on Chinese cargo-handling equipment, citing concerns over national security and economic stability.

“The national security and economic prosperity of the United States is further endangered by the People's Republic of China's unfair trade practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors,” the document claimed.

China counters US tariffs

On Tuesday, China imposed 15% tariffs on US chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton in addition to a 10% tariff on soybeans, sorghum, pork, beef, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, set to go into effect on March 10, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry Statement.

"The US' unilateral tariff measures seriously violate World Trade Organization rules and undermine the basis for economic and trade cooperation between China and the US," China's Ministry of Commerce stated, emphasizing that "China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests."

On February 4, China imposed a 15% tariff on US coal and liquefied natural gas, in addition to a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural equipment, and certain cars, which went into effect on February 10, in response to Trump launching his first 10% tariff on Chinese imports.

As Washington and Beijing escalate the trade war between the two countries, Trump said that he is in no rush to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, as fears of a trade war between the two countries rise.

Trump justifies his tariffs on China by claiming that it is responsible for the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, something Beijing said is a US problem, emphasizing that China has done its part in combating fentanyl trafficking.

  • US tariffs
  • United States
  • US
  • trade war
  • China
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS