US' planned port docking fees on China set to backfire

The United States' plan to impose port docking fees on Chinese ships will backfire on its own economy and lead to a redistribution of shipping capacity between the two countries, said shipping analysts and a risk assessment report on Thursday.

The Office of the US Trade Representative proposed in late February a measure to charge a fee of up to $1.5 million for Chinese-operated and Chinese-built vessels making port calls in the US.

China has urged the US to immediately halt the misguided action, emphasizing that such measures will drive up global shipping costs, disrupt the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and heighten inflationary pressures within the US.