China's Revenge Is 'bombed' By Trump's Tariff, The US Ship Is Set On High Costs

Illustration of cargo ships. (Chris Linnett-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - China has replied to the tariff-fixing policy set by the President of the United States (US) Donald Trump against his country by increasing the cost of special ports for US ships docked.

The action came after the US planned to impose port fees on Chinese ships. China's efforts are a series of revenge ahead of meeting US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Citing AP, Friday 10 October, China's Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) on Friday 10 October announced that ships belonging to US companies or nationals, even those produced in the US, would cost 400 yuan or around Rp930 thousand per net tonne per voyage if anchored at Chinese Port.

This fee will also be charged to the same ship for a maximum of five voyages per year, and will increase every year until 2028, when the cost will increase to 1,120 yuan or IDR 2.6 million per clean ton.

The tariff for US ships at Chinese ports will take effect on October 14, the same day the US plans to set port costs on Chinese ships.

As for the US plan, ships belonging to or operated by China will cost 50 US dollars or Rp. 830 thousand per net tonne for each voyage to the US, which will then increase by 30 US dollars or Rp. 498 thousand per net tonne every year until 2028. Each ship will cost no more than five times per year.

China's Ministry of Transportation said in a statement that the special costs it imposes on US ships were "retaliatory measures" in response to US practices "violating the law", referring to plans for US port fees for Chinese ships.

The ministry also denounced fees at US ports "discriminatory", and "very detrimental to the legitimate interests of China's shipping industry", including "very damaging" the economic and international trade order.

China has announced a series of trade measures and restrictions ahead of the meeting of Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea which will begin at the end of October 2025.