Today, the Ministry of Transport in Beijing announced
the application of taxes on US ships that will call at
in Chinese ports in response to additional taxes on Chinese ships
that will call at U.S. ports that will come into force on the 14th
October and which were announced in the spring by the Office of the
United States Trade Representative (USTR)
(
of
18
April 2025). The Chinese ministry specified that the fees
will be borne by ships owned or operated by
U.S. companies, organizations or individuals,
managed by companies or other organisations in which companies,
U.S. organizations or individuals directly or
indirectly at least 25% of the share capital, or of the rights of
or seats on the board of directors, and
of US-flagged ships and ships built
in the United States.
Denouncing that the new taxes decided by the United States "violate
principles of international trade and the Agreement on
maritime transport between China and the US and seriously undermines the
maritime trade between China and the United States', the
Chinese ministry specified that the taxes that will be applied
to U.S. ships comply with the regulation of the Republic of the Republic
Chinese People's International Sea Freight and other
laws and regulations as well as the fundamental principles of the
international law. In addition, Beijing has specified that, with
the approval of the Council of State
(
of 30
September 2025), taxes on American ships will be applied
starting from next October 14th.
Chinese taxes will be applied for each individual trip of
US ships that will call at Chinese ports, with
charge at the first port of call and no charge in the
Chinese ports of call, and their value will be reduced
gradual increase. From 14 October 2025, a
tax of 400 yuan ($56) per net ton, a value that
it will rise to 640 yuan starting April 17, 2026 and then
Move to 880 yuan per net ton as of April 17, 2027
and thus rise to 1,120 yuan as of April 17, 2028.
In addition, the new Chinese regulation provides that the same ship
may be subject to these specific taxes
for no more than five trips per year.
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genoa - ITALY
