US may revise Chinese ship fee plan

Industries say plan could halt shipping

- JONATHAN SAUL RENEE MALTEZOU

President Donald Trump's administration is considering softening its proposed fee on China-linked ships visiting US ports after a flood of negative feedback from industries that said the idea could be economically devastating, according to six sources.

Among the changes under consideration are delayed implementation and new fee structures designed to reduce the overall cost to visiting Chinese vessels, according to the six sources with knowledge of the matter.

The sources asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The White House and the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), the government department involved in the drafting of the proposal, did not respond to requests for comment.

Not all of the agency's proposed multimillion-dollar fees for Chinese-built ships or docks at US ports will be implemented and may not be cumulative, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a US Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday.