Global Maritime Focus
Special Report
Time to talk
US, China agree to year-long suspension of reciprocal port fees
By Keith Wallis
A year-long pause on US port fees for Chinese-operated or – built ships— and similar retaliatory fees from China— has paved the way for Washing to negotiate with Beijing over China’ s alleged dominance in the maritime and shipbuilding sectors.
During the 12-month pause in port fees, which officially began Nov. 10,“ the US will negotiate with China” while continuing“ its historic cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan on revitalizing American shipbuilding,” the White House said in a Nov. 1 statement.
The statement also gave further details of the trade concessions agreed to by both sides during talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 26 and confirmed by presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping during their meeting in South Korea.
The broad agreement will see China purchase at least 12 million metric tons of US soybeans during the last two months of this year and buy at least 25 million metric tons a year in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Additionally, China will resume purchases of US sorghum and hardwood logs.
China will also suspend all the retaliatory tariffs announced since March 4, including levies“ on a vast swath of US agricultural products including chicken, wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products,” the White House statement said. China will suspend or remove all retaliatory non-tariff countermeasures taken against the US since March, the statement added.
“ China will further extend the expiration of its marketbased tariff exclusion process for imports from the United States and exclusions will remain valid until Dec. 31, 2026,” the White House said.“ China will terminate its various investigations targeting US companies in the semiconductor supply chain, including its antitrust, anti-monopoly, and anti-dumping investigations.”
The White House did not give any timeframe for China’ s implementation of the trade concessions.
For its part, the US agreed to end the 10 % so-called fentanyl tariffs on Nov. 10 and maintain its suspension of heightened reciprocal tariffs on Chinese imports until Nov. 10, 2026. The current 10 % reciprocal tariff will remain in effect during the suspension period, the statement said.
“ The question is whether it will prompt a boost in shipments.”
US imports from China have fallen sharply amid the trade dispute. From May through October, laden container shipments from China tumbled 18.6 % compared with the same period last year, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S & P Global.
Questions remain
Despite the US-China deal on port fees, there are still many questions to be answered, said Brian Maloney, a partner in New York-based law firm Seward & Kissel’ s maritime and transportation group.
“ Will this apply to foreign-built vehicle carriers and [ roll-on / roll-off ] vessels or will the pause apply only to the fees for Chinese-owned,-operated or-built vessels?” Maloney said.“ When will the Chinese response pause kick in, which could matter for vessels actively trading? And will either country extend retroactive relief to Oct. 14?”
China has agreed to suspend tariffs on US agriculture products like soybeans, wheat and corn. IVAN KUZKIN / Shutterstock. com
24 Journal of Commerce | December 1, 2025 www. joc. com