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The Trump administration will begin to impose costs on ships built in Chinese in the American ports while it tries to stimulate American shipbuilding in a movement likely to degenerate trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The United States has presented plans in a late deposit to be in line on steep charges on Chinese-detained or built ships carrying goods to the American ports for several years.
The costs are part of an effort to increase pressure on China on what Washington supports Unfair commercial practiceswhile stimulating the national manufacturing of ships. However, they caused an alarm among American exporters.
American farmers have expressed dismay that an overly punitive expense structure harm their ability to export goods by forcing ships to visit fewer American ports to try to reduce the costs they have to pay.
Jamieson Greer, Donald TrumpThe commercial representative said in a statement that the United States would charge costs to ship owners and $ 50 China operators per net tonne from 180 days, increasing $ 30 per tonne in the following three years. The operators of ships built in Chinese would be invoiced a lower amount.
“Ships and shipping are vital for American economic security and the free movement of trade,” said Greer.
“The actions of the Trump administration will begin to reverse Chinese domination, respond to threats from the American supply chain and send a demand signal for ships built in the United States,” he said.
The United States will also have “limited restrictions” on foreign ships carrying liquefied natural gas, but the restrictions would not start for three years and increase over a period of 22 years, Greer's office said.
The costs would be based on the number of trips to the United States and not applied for each wearing of the country visited during the same trip, reducing the risk that ships ignore small ports and harm American exporters.
The office of the American commercial representative added that empty ships arriving to export goods from the country would not be billed.
