China announces special port tariffs on US-linked ships

The levies will be charged at Chinese ports starting October 14. Ships will have to pay $56 per net ton until April, when the rate will increase to $89.

Chinese President Xi JinpingFPhoto by Handout / Kazakhstan's Presidential Press Service / AFP.

Published by

Virginia Martínez

10 de octubre, 2025

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China announced Friday that it will apply special port tariffs to ships operated or built by the United States. The move comes after Washington announced last April that it will levy fees on China-linked ships.

The levies will be collected at Chinese portsfrom October 14, the Chinese Transport Ministry said in a statement quoted by AFP.

Similar fees are expected to go into effect that day for Chinese-built and operated ships arriving in the U.S..

Ships will have to pay $56 per net ton until April, when the rate will increase to $89. Rates will then rise annually.

No vessel will be taxed more than five times a year

The ministry explained that the "special port fees" will apply to each ship's voyage to China - not to each individual port - and no vessel will be taxed more than five times a year.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for this portfolio said Beijing's taxes are a "legitimate measure to safeguard the legal rights and interests of Chinese shipping companies."

"We urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its wrongful practices and cease the unjustified crackdown on China's shipping industry," the unnamed spokesman added in a separate statement.