The US will review a union petition on allegations of “unfair trade practices by China’s shipbuilding industry.” The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a statement by ambassador Katherine Tai on petition filed under section 301 related to “China’s acts, policies, and practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sector.”

To remind, the United Steelworkers union (USW) last week led a coalition of labor organizations in filing a Section 301 petition, calling on the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to initiate an investigation of Chinese commercial shipbuilding.

As it is claimed by USW, “the People’s Republic of China (PRC), over the past two decades, enacted a comprehensive strategy to dominate global transportation and logistics networks, including employing an array of non-market policies.”

Meanwhile, U.S. shipbuilding capacity continues to diminish, as it is claimed.

In the 137-page petition it is claimed, among other things, that USTR should impose a fee on every Chinese-built vessel that docks at a United States port.

As is it mentioned: “The port fee should be based on the tonnage of the Chinese vessel docking in the United States, with larger and heavier ships that presumably benefit from greater government support bearing a greater cost to dock in the United States.

“To create an incentive for China to eliminate its unfair practices, the fee should also take into account the age of the vessel, with the fees assessed on newer vessels being higher than the fee for older vessels.”

Ambassador Katherine Tai said that she is “looking forward to reviewing this petition in detail.”

“Today, the Office of the United States Trade Representative received a petition from USW, IAM, IBB, IBEW, and MTD regarding the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) acts, policies, and practices in the critical maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sector. 

“We have seen the PRC create dependencies and vulnerabilities in multiple sectors, like steel, aluminum, solar, batteries, and critical minerals, harming American workers and businesses and creating real risks for our supply chains.

“USTR and the Biden-Harris Administration are fighting every day to put working families first, rebuild American manufacturing, and strengthen our supply chains,” reads the statement of Ambassador Katherine Tai.

As it is reported from various media, China responded mentioning that “The accusations made by relevant U.S. organizations against China are completely unfounded.”

Source: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).