The US Trade Representative's (USTR) office said it will release details Thursday on proposed fees for operators of Chinese-built ships calling at US ports.
The closely-watched proposals — part of President Donald Trump's plan to kick-start a flagging US shipbuilding industry and challenge Chinese dominance in the sector — were the subject of hearings and public comments last month in Washington, DC.
The original proposal included fees of up to $1.5mn per port call for ships based on the percentage of Chinese-built vessels in an operator's fleet. Shipping market participants said the proposals could significantly curtail US import and exports and hurt the broader economy. Higher costs for shipping would likely be passed on to US consumers.
Since the public hearings, the USTR has signaled that the fees would likely be less onerous than under the original proposal, and that not all of them would be implemented.
