4 U.S. Senators Urge Trump to Keep China Ship Fees Before Xi Summit

6 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 11

Four bipartisan senators told Donald Trump not to trade away U.S. shipbuilding remedies when he meets Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday, calling China’s push to “decimate” American shipbuilding a national-security threat.
The pressure centers on U.S. port fees on Chinese-linked vessels, paused for one year after Trump and Xi agreed in October to suspend tit-for-tat charges that would otherwise cost large Chinese-built ships about $3.2 billion annually.
The senators argued the measures are working: the fee threat briefly cut Chinese shipyard orders 25% last spring before orders rebounded after the postponement, with fees set to resume on Nov. 10 unless extended again.
Their letter also backs the SHIPS for America Act, which would add tax credits and authorize $2.5 billion over a decade, as the White House points to a separate $43 billion Navy warship-building plan.
The dispute reflects China’s rise to more than 50% of the $150 billion global shipbuilding market in 2023 from about 5% in 2000, while the U.S. share has fallen below 1%.

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