U.S. and China begin slapping each other with port fees
October 16, 2025
Port fees became the latest weapons in the U.S.-China trade war on Oct. 14 as Americans started penalizing shippers for using Chinese built or owned vessels and China reciprocated with matching fees. The fees for docking and unloading in ports kicked in as trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies were heating up: China’s Oct. 9 announcement of plans for greater control of rare earth exports sparked a suggestion of a new, 100% tariff on Chinese goods by U.S.
