DPI: President Trump Suspends USTR Section 301 Vessel Fees

The White House announced a one-year suspension to the vessel fees and other actions previously announced under Section 301. The suspension will take effect November 10.

The announcement followed trade negotiations between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Korea. The two leaders reached various agreements on trade and economic issues aimed at deescalating recent trade tensions.

The White House issued a brief fact sheet announcing the suspension on November 1: “The United States will suspend for one year, starting on November 10, 2025, implementation of the responsive actions taken pursuant to the Section 301 investigation on China’s Targeting the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance. In the meantime, the United States will negotiate with China pursuant to Section 301 while continuing its historic cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan on revitalizing American shipbuilding.”

Earlier this year, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced sweeping vessel fees among other actions following an investigation of China’s dominance in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. USTR found China’s practices to be unreasonable and to burden or restrict US commerce. The fees affected Chinese-made and owned vessels as well as foreign-made vehicle vessels. The fees had just gone into effect on October 14. As of yet, there are no details on whether fees collected so far from ocean carriers will be refunded.