US plant Gebühren für chinesische Schiffe in US-Häfen

US plant Gebühren für chinesische Schiffe in US-Häfen

The United States have presented plans to raise new port fees on Chinese ships. The aim is to revive the American shipbuilding industry and to contain the influence of China in this industry.

background to the trade conflict

President Donald Trump has started a comprehensive Trade war against China . His administration represents this step as an attempt to bring production back to the USA. However, critics and numerous economists fear that this could trigger a global recession and increase prices for consumers.

Details of the new port fees

A message in Federal Register , which was published on Thursday by the US trade officer (UtTR), explains that the US government will raise fees for all Chinese-built or operated ships based on the net tone number or the transported goods.

The new fees are to come into force in about 180 days and be introduced gradually. In addition, they could be increased in the coming years.

reactions from industry

The latest announcement is a departure from previous proposals that were up for discussion in February and provided for fees of up to $ 1.5 million per port start for Chinese ships. These proposals had provided strong counter-reactions in the industry, reported Reuters .

"Ships and shipping are crucial for the economic security of America and the free flow of trade," said US trade officer Jamieson Greer in a explanation . "The measures of the Trump administration will help to push the Chinese dominance back and to tackle the threats to the US supply chains."

China's answer

China said on Friday that the US plan would be “failed”. The spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, said at a regular press conference that the uplifting of port fees and additional tariffs on charging and unloading devices are "measures and also the USA itself."

"It not only increases the global shipping costs and disturbs the stability of the industry, but also creates additional inflation pressure in the USA, which endangers the interests of American consumers and companies," added Lin and said that it would ultimately not be able to revitalize the American shipbuilding industry.

from October 14th new fees

From October 14th, fees of $ 50 per net bin will be charged for Chinese and chartered ships, and the sentence will increase by $ 30 a year in the next three years. Ships that enter the United States and are not operated by Chinese companies pay $ 18 per net bin, with annual fee increases of $ 5.

increasing trade tensions

The new taxes on Chinese cargo ships tighten the trade between the two largest economies in the world. Trump has already increased the tariffs to Chinese goods to a total of 145%, while Beijing reacted to US goods with tariffs with tariffs.

At a press conference in the White House, Trump signaled on Thursday a possible termination of the mutual duty increases, which China described as a "meaningless" figure. "I don't want them to rise higher, because at some point you will reach a point where people no longer buy," he said.

negotiations in prospect

Beijing said that it was not planning to increase tariffs on US goods over the already announced sentence. Trump also said that he wanted to negotiate trade contracts with every country, including China. He emphasized that his administration had talks with Chinese officials to reach an agreement.

A day before, a person who is familiar with the thoughts of the Chinese government was that China was open to trade negotiations with the United States, but should be based on "respect" and greater "coherence and reciprocity" from the Trump administration.