China’s Shipowners Seek to Continue Talks With US on Levies

(Bloomberg) --

The China Shipowners Association said it will continue to “actively communicate” with the US and other relevant parties about the Trump administration’s proposed levies on Chinese vessels.

Under a plan put forward by the US Trade Representative on Thursday, all Chinese-built and -owned ships docking in the US would be subject to a fee based on the volume of goods carried, on a per-voyage basis. 

The proposal follows a months-long investigation ordered by the Biden administration into whether Chinese shipbuilding threatens US national security. The plan also hits non-Chinese shipbuilders, adding a levy to any vehicle carriers not made in America calling at US ports.

The Trump Administration’s move is “significantly discriminatory,” and the association “firmly opposes the US’ accusations based on false facts and prejudice,” the trade body, which represents all Chinese shipowners, said in a statement on its official Wechat account on Saturday. 

The so-called 301 petition ordered the fee to go into effect in six months, with another phase restricting foreign-built vessels that transport liquefied natural gas to begin in three years. After six months, the fee for Chinese vessels would be set at $50 per net ton, or the volume of a ship’s revenue-earning space, and then increase incrementally over three years. 

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