Report: US to Declare China’s Use of Unfair Trade Practices in Shipbuilding

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office had reportedly concluded China is using unfair policies and practices to dominate the shipbuilding industry as well as the global maritime and logistics sectors. The finding comes as China in 2024 moved into the dominant position in newbuilding orders scoring as much as 70 percent of the orders and widening the gap with South Korea its nearest rival.

According to an exclusive report from Reuters, Katherine Tai who leads the efforts to oversee U.S. trade has concluded a nearly 10-month investigation into the shipbuilding industry and will release the final report by the end of this week. The investigation was launched in April 2024 in response to a formal complaint filed by a coalition of five U.S. unions representing steelworkers, machinists, and shipbuilders.

China…