US, China roll out tit-for-tat port fees

NEW FEES MAY NOT BEVERY DISRUPTIVE TO INDUSTRY

- LISA BAERTLEIN, LIZ LEE & JOE CASH

THE UNITED STATES and China on Tuesday began charging additional port fees on ocean shipping firms that move everything from holiday toys to crude oil, making the high seas a key front in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

China said it had started to collect the special charges on US-owned, operated, built, or flagged vessels but clarified that Chinese-built ships would be exempted from the levies.

In details published by state broadcaster CCTV, China spelled out specific provisions on exemptions, which also include empty ships entering Chinese shipyards for repair.