The Shipping Mess, Part 2: New Chinese regulations may be targeting Wall Street, US investors

by Inside China Business [10-12-2025].

(RAD: To think that these high shipping fees can be used to rebuild US shipping is pure fantasy!!! China is already the dominate ship builder of quality ships, faster, and at lower cost that anyone else in the world. If the US tries to rebuild our own building of container ships, we don't have the infrastructure, and our costs would be significantly higher than China. Again, I see absolutely NO benefit to the US consumer for Trump's current approach to very high shipping fees. It only hurts the US consumer!!! — RAD)

High fees and tariffs on Chinese-built or -operated commercial ships calling on US ports go into effect this week.

In response, Chinese officials issued new regulations governing foreign-flagged ships making China port visits.

The United States has a very small domestic shipping industry, so most analysts concluded that the new rules are not likely to deeply impact American companies.

But the new regulations are written very broadly, and could be directed at ships and companies that are flagged offshore, but are nevertheless mostly owned by Wall Street funds and US institutional investors.

These new rules, then, do allow for China to respond commensurately: over $30 billion in US port fees will be levied against global shippers in 2026 because of the Chinese-built vessels in their fleets. China may do the same, based on foreign ships' proportional US ownership.

Closing scene, Yulong River Bamboo Rafting Area, Guangxi