The world’s two largest economies have bought themselves a little more time. A pause on new charges for ships moving between the two countries will last into the new year, giving negotiators room to work.
The United States and China have extended their pause on port fees targeting each other’s ships by two more months, with Washington’s suspension taking effect Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, and Beijing announcing its own the same day.
Why were the port fees created?
The fees grew out of a fight over China’s dominance of global shipbuilding. China builds more ships than any other country. The United States has sought to revive its own shipbuilding industry, which has shrunk dramatically over the decades.
Under a plan announced by the U.S. trade representative’s office in April 2025, ships owned or operated by Chinese companies would pay $50 per net ton on each voyage to the United States. Ships built in China would pay $18 per net ton or $120 per container, whichever is higher, with rates rising each year through 2028.
Net tonnage is a measure of a ship’s cargo space, not its weight. The fees were designed to make Chinese ships more expensive to use and encourage demand for ships built elsewhere.
How did China respond to the port fees?
Beijing answered with port fees of 400 yuan, about $56, per net ton on ships linked to the United States.
It also sanctioned five U.S. subsidiaries of the South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, including Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania, accusing them of helping the U.S. investigation that led to the fees. The Philadelphia yard is one of the few large commercial shipyards left in the United States.
Under the latest extension, Beijing will keep its fees and the Hanwha sanctions on hold for two more months. The move mirrors the American decision and keeps both sides on equal footing.
How long will the pause on port fees last?
Washington’s pause now runs through Jan. 9, 2027. Unless the two countries act again, the port fees will return in January. The pause gives shipping companies some certainty through the holiday season.
The extension is part of a broader extension of the trade truce that President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reached in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025.
That truce originally paused many measures for a year. The new extension is much shorter, a sign of growing pressure over port fees and other measures.
What does the U.S. want from China?
U.S. officials are pushing China to deliver on promises it made in Busan, including purchases of American farm products such as soybeans and steady supplies of rare earth minerals. Those commitments were central to the deal reached last year.
Rare earths are used in everything from smartphones to fighter jets, and China controls much of the world’s supply.
American farmers have been watching closely, since China is one of the largest buyers of U.S. soybeans. Soybean sales to China have become a key measure of the truce’s success.
What comes next?
Trump and Xi are expected to meet at the APEC summit, a gathering of leaders from around the Pacific, in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 18 and 19, in what would be their third meeting this year. Their talks are expected to cover trade, technology and security issues.
The meeting could determine whether the truce is extended again or whether tariffs and port fees return.
For shipping companies, farmers and manufacturers, the decision will have real effects on costs and trade. Businesses on both sides of the Pacific will be watching the summit closely.
