The United States made good on a plan to increase American shipbuilding Tuesday by imposing steep fees on Chinese maritime vessels. The new fees are kicking in the same day China’s Transport Ministry is also imposing port fees on vessels owned, operated or built in the U.S. as part of a retaliatory move that escalates a trade war between the two countries.

While China’s Transport Ministry said Friday it would impose a fee of $56 per net ton per voyage for American ships that dock in China starting Tuesday, the U.S. has now begun imposing fees on the owners and operators of Chinese vessels destined for the U.S. starting at $50 per net ton and increasing by $30 annually from 2026 through 2028. China also plans to increase fees every year through 2028.

The U.S. port fees stem from a U.S. Tr

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