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Trump raises duties for Chinese ship docking, Beijing blocks LNG imports
New port taxes from the US against Chinese maritime dominance. The Dragon responds by halting liquid gas supplies
The Trump administration has launched a new package of tariffs aimed at hitting Chinese shipbuilding and reducing US logistical dependence on Beijing. The new taxes, which will go into effect within 180 days, will apply to Chinese-built and Chinese-operated ships, with the aim of boosting US shipbuilding and ‘defending national economic security,’ said Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The tariffs will apply for up to five berths per year and will increase progressively. They start at USD 50 per tonne of cargo for Chinese operators, increasing by USD 30 per year until 2028. Chinese-built ships will instead pay $18 per tonne or $120 per container. Cars imported by sea from non-US-built ships will be taxed at $150 per vehicle. Empty ships docking to load US goods and those with active orders in US yards will be exempt.
Beijing immediately reacted by calling the measures ‘harmful to all’ and threatened countermeasures to protect its interests. According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, the new taxes ‘increase global costs, threaten supply chain stability, and fuel inflation in the US’.
As a first concrete response, China has completely blocked imports of US LNG. According to the Financial Times, no cargo has arrived from the US for over ten weeks: the last ship landed on 6 February in Fujian. A second ship, which arrived late after the Chinese 15% tariffs came into effect, was diverted to Bangladesh. Tariffs on US LNG have now risen to 49%.
During Trump’s first term, a similar halt lasted over a year. Today, Chinese companies such as PetroChina and Sinopec still have 13 supply contracts with US terminals, some valid until 2049. But according to analysts, the blockade could also affect infrastructure projects between the US and Mexico. In the meantime, an opening signal comes from China towards a greater import of LNG from Russia.
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