USTR proposes extending port fee suspension on China-linked ships to January

The US Trade Representative proposed extending the suspension of port fees on Chinese-linked ships for an additional two months, delaying higher shipping costs for US metals and coal exporters, according to a Federal Register public inspection document posted Oct. 23.

USTR had suspended a fee targeting China's maritime, logistics and shipping sectors for one year, through Nov. 9, 2026, as part of a US-China trade deal. USTR is proposing to extend the suspension through Jan. 9, 2027. Platts first reported the likely extension on Oct. 20.

"The United States is continuing to engage with China with the goal of obtaining the elimination of the acts, policies, and practices at issue in the investigation. The Trade Representative is therefore proposing to further suspend for two months, through January 9, 2027, the responsive actions taken in this investigation," said the public inspection document, scheduled to be published in the Federal Register Oct. 26.

Platts is part of S&P Global Energy.

The proposed punt follows a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. The two leaders are expected to meet again in November.

The suspended port fees include a fee on vessels owned or operated by Chinese entities and a separate fee on Chinese-built vessels. The initial rates were $50/net ton per voyage for Chinese-owned or operated vessels and $18/nt or $120 per container discharged for Chinese-built vessels. Net tons are equivalent to short tons.

The revised fees are less stringent than USTR's initial proposal, which would have charged up to $1.5 million per entrance of Chinese-built vessels.

When first announced in early 2025, the fee proposal caused alarm in the coal industry, which relies on exports amid declining domestic consumption and has few alternatives to Chinese-built ships.

The National Coal Council has recommended that the Trump administration make the suspension of the port fees permanent, according to a July 2026 report on US coal exports. The maritime actions would raise costs for transportation, reduce vessel availability and undermine the competitiveness of US coal exports, the council said.

USTR is seeking comments on the proposed two-month extension. Comments are due Oct. 30.