China Extends Suspension of Port Fees on U.S.-Linked Vessels Through January 2027
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China's Ministry of Transport announced that it has extended the suspension of special port fees applied to vessels linked to the United States through January 10, 2027. The agency also confirmed that it will keep on hold its investigation into the security of maritime and shipbuilding supply chains, which had been frozen together with the fees.
Other measures on hold
The extension is part of a broader package of trade measures. China also extended through January 10, 2027 the suspension of an additional 24% tariff on certain U.S. goods, keeping a base rate of 10%. In addition, the Ministry of Commerce extended exemptions from export controls on critical minerals, froze measures against 11 U.S. companies included on its unreliable entity list and 16 on its export control list, and kept on hold sanctions against five Hanwha Ocean units linked to the United States.
Reciprocal measure
China's decision responds to a prior move by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which had already extended the suspension of its Section 301 fees on China-linked vessels through January 2027. That U.S. program, implemented in October 2025 under the Biden administration following a petition by five U.S. unions, applies to vessels operated by Chinese shipping lines calling at U.S. ports as well as to the entire China-built merchant fleet.
Impact on ports
Uncertainty over the scheduled expiration of the tariff exemptions led shippers to front-load orders, resulting in an early peak season. Chinese ports reported record volumes, as did the U.S. ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and other U.S. terminals receiving Chinese exports.
Next steps
The extension gives both countries more time to negotiate a broader trade deal ahead of upcoming high-level meetings, including the APEC forum summit to be held in China next week, where Xi Jinping and Donald Trump will meet for the third time this year, and the G20 summit. Following the September Washington summit, both sides had proposed a package of reciprocal tariff cuts worth $60 billion, including about $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products imported by China in 2024, though the plan has not yet been finalized.
