China hits shipowners as new port fees on US ships take effect from Oct. 14

China announced Friday that starting Tuesday it will begin charging US ships for docking at Chinese ports, in retaliation for Washington’s imposition of fees on Chinese vessels entering US ports.

China’s ministry of transportation said the fees will be collected on vessels owned or operated by U.S. companies, organizations, or individuals.

The fees will also be applied to vessels owned or operated by companies, organizations in which US stakeholders hold at least the 25% or more of ownership (voting rights, board seats), starting on October 14, China’s transport ministry said.

Additionally, ships built in the United States or flying the American flag would also be subject to fees.

The fees are a countermeasure against upcoming U.S. port fees, the ministry said on Friday.

The decision follows an April 17 announcement by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which said it would impose additional port service fees on Chinese-owned or Chinese-built vessels starting the same date.

The ministry said the US measures severely violate international trade principles, the China-US maritime transport agreement, and disrupt normal maritime commerce between the two countries.

The measure will be rolled out in four phases for vessels calling into Chinese ports per voyage: RMB 400 per net tonne starting Oct 14, 2025; RMB 640 per net tonne from Apr 17, 2026; RMB 880 per net tonne from Apr 17, 2027; and RMB 1,120 per net tonne from Apr 17, 2028.

If a vessel calls at multiple Chinese ports on the same voyage, it shall pay the special port dues only at the first port of call and shall not be charged at subsequent ports of call. Special port dues may not be charged for more than five voyages of the same vessel in a year.

China’s ministry of transport said it will release detailed implementation measures for the new port fees in due course.

The fees and schedule broadly mirror rules announced by the US in April. The US port fees on Chinese-linked vessels entering US ports would take effect on Oct. 14, the same day when China is due to start imposing port fees on US-linked vessels.

Recently, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published final guidance on how the forthcoming Section 301 “port entry fee” regime will be applied when it takes effect on October 14, 2025.