The consensus reached during the 2025 China-US economic and trade consultations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and approved by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

Suspend sanctions against US subsidiaries of South Korea's Hanwha Ocean Group for one year

China will suspend the collection of special port fees from US-flagged vessels for one year, effective 13:01 on Monday, the Ministry of Transport announced. The move follows the consensus reached during the 2025 China-US economic and trade consultations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and approved by the State Council, China's Cabinet. The decision aligns with the US' commitment to suspend the implementation of measures under its Section 301 investigation targeting China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries for one year.

Tariffs imposed by both sides had reached triple digits

 It is noteworthy the tariffs imposed by both sides had previously reached triple digits, disrupting trade between Washington and Beijing and hindering global supply chains  when the once-dominant US shipbuilding industry, which emerged after World War II, has declined to account for only about 0.1 percent of global production, while Asian countries dominate the sector, led by China, which builds nearly half of the world's new ships, followed by South Korea and Japan. 

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Suspend sanctions 

In a parallel move, Beijing announced it would suspend sanctions against US subsidiaries of South Korea's Hanwha Ocean Group for one year, starting November 10, in response to Washington's decision to suspend tariffs on Chinese ships. China had imposed sanctions in October on five US Hanwha subsidiaries, accusing them of supporting a US government trade investigation under Section 301, which concluded that Beijing's dominance of the shipbuilding industry was "unjustified."

The sanctions at the time included a ban on cooperation with the following companies:

Hanwha Shipping LLC,  Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. Hanwha Ocean USA International LLC  Hanwha Shipping Holdings LLC,  HS USA Holdings Corp.

 The impact of Section 301

The planned investigation into the impact of Section 301 on "the security and development of China's shipbuilding industry and supply chains" was also suspended for one year. These reciprocal steps are an attempt to ease trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, but they remain temporary pending the outcome of upcoming negotiations between the two sides.

US port fees and investigations into the impact on the safety

According to the ministry, the suspension covers previous announcements and guidelines on US port fees and investigations into the impact on the safety and development of China's shipping, shipbuilding, and related industrial supply chains. The one-year suspension aims to stabilize bilateral trade, safeguard industrial supply chains, and enhance cooperation between China and the United States in the maritime sector.
Economic relations between the United States and China 

Economic relations between the United States and China have shown strong signs of thaw and rapprochement following the recent meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. This breakthrough has manifested in a series of reciprocal measures aimed at easing trade tensions. These successive developments indicate that both sides are seeking to rebuild economic trust and contain trade tensions, paving the way for a more stable phase in bilateral relations between the world's two largest economies.

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.United States , China ,  Presidents Xi Jinping , Donald Trump. special port fees suspend ,US-flagged vessels ,Kuala Lumpur , China's Cabinet , US shipbuilding industry, tariffs