The Chinese government escalated its trade conflict with the U.S. today, initiating reciprocal port fees on U.S.-affiliated vessels in direct response to recent U.S. levies against Chinese shipping. In addition, the government sanctioned five U.S. companies and launched a new investigation, signaling that further punitive

On Friday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced modifications to certain aspects of the action it took as part of its Section 301 investigation on China's practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors.

This week, China revised its international maritime transport rules and granted new authorities to retaliate against discriminatory measures from foreign nations, a move that comes ahead of the U.S. imposing port fees targeting China-built and China-operated ships.

As part of a hearing in a Section 301 investigation, two Chinese trade associations have submitted critical comments on a U.S. Trade Representative's office proposal for fees related to Chinese ships using U.S. ports.

Last week, two Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation on ocean shipping, targeting certain Chinese products and entities.

Recently, China’s State Council approved a pilot project to open some ports for foreign vessels to operate coastal shipping. The project will last for three years, until December 31, 2024. The details of the new policy are still under development and therefore how many foreign shipping companies can benefit