The Kabul Tribune (KT) — China announced Monday that it will suspend for one year the “special port fees” imposed on U.S. vessels, mirroring Washington’s recent decision to pause similar levies on Chinese ships, as part of a tentative easing in trade tensions between the two economic powers.
According to a report published by Agence France-Presse
(AFP) on Monday, November 10, 2025, the move marks a cautious step toward
de-escalation in the prolonged U.S.–China trade dispute. The two countries have
been locked in a months-long tariff and sanctions war but agreed to roll back
some punitive measures following a meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping and
Donald Trump in South Korea last month.
“In light of this (U.S. suspension) ... China has decided to
suspend the relevant measures for one year,” Beijing’s commerce ministry said
in a statement.
The decision follows China’s October sanctions against five
U.S. subsidiaries of Hanwha, accused of supporting a U.S. “Section 301”
investigation that deemed China’s dominance in shipbuilding unfair. Under those
sanctions, Chinese companies and individuals were barred from cooperating with
the Hanwha affiliates, including Hanwha Shipping LLC and Hanwha Philly Shipyard
Inc.
China’s transport ministry added that a planned probe into
whether the U.S. investigation harmed China’s shipbuilding security and supply
chain has also been postponed for one year.
Beijing said it hopes the United States will “continue to
meet China halfway and jointly safeguard fair competition in the global
shipping and shipbuilding market.”
