'Fight To The End': China Enforces Port Fees For US Ships After Trump's 100% Tariff Warning

Last Updated:October 14, 2025, 10:14 IST

China had earlier announced that it would slap the new port fees as a countermeasure to "discriminatory" US port fees, as a trade war brewed between the two countries.

China's new port fee for US ships takes effect from Tuesday (October 14). (Reuters/File)

China on Tuesday said it will “fight till the end" in a trade war with the United States as it imposed a special port fee for all American-owned and operated ships in response to US President Donald Trump’s 100% tariff warning.

The latest altercation between the US and China, which rattled markets worldwide, came after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Chinese goods over Beijing’s announcement of sweeping new export controls in the strategic field of rare earths.

“On the matter of tariff wars and trade wars, China’s position remains consistent. If you wish to fight, we shall fight to the end; if you wish to negotiate, our door remains open," an unnamed Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

“The United States cannot simultaneously seek dialogue while threatening to impose new restrictive measures. This is not the proper way to engage with China."

China Imposes Special Port Fees

Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Transport announced that it has begun to charge special port fees on ships owned or operated by US enterprises, organisations and individuals, effective from Tuesday (October 14), according to Global Times.

The move is aimed at safeguarding the interests of China’s shipping industry. The special port fees for eligible US vessels berthing at Chinese ports will initially be 400 yuan ($56.30) per net tonne starting Tuesday, with annual increases scheduled for April 17 over the subsequent three years, according to an official statement.

Failure to pay the fees will lead to stalled import and export procedures for the ship. However, Chinese-built ships would be exempted from the levies. The ministry announced last week that it would slap the new port fees as a countermeasure to “discriminatory" US port fees on China-linked ships starting the same day.

Also on Tuesday, new US tariffs came into effect on imported timber, kitchen cabinets and upholstered furniture, much of which comes from China, according to BBC. The renewed trade war has raised doubts on a meeting between Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month.

Trump Backs Down From Tariff Warning

After threatening 100% tariffs on Chinese imports from November 1 and export controls “on any and all critical software", Trump appeared to back down on Monday, saying the US “wants to help China, not hurt it".

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the “highly respected" President Xi Jinping just had a bad moment and he doesn’t want to put his country into (economic) depression. He had also threatened to pull out of a meeting with Jinping. He later said he had not cancelled it, but that he did not know “that we’re going to have it".

Rare earths have been a major sticking point in recent trade negotiations between the two superpowers. They are critical to manufacturing everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to military hardware and renewable energy technology.

Chinese goods currently face US tariffs of at least 30% under levies that Trump imposed while accusing Beijing of aiding in the fentanyl trade as well as unfair trade practices. China’s retaliatory tariffs are currently at 10%.

(with inputs from agencies)

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

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News world 'Fight To The End': China Enforces Port Fees For US Ships After Trump's 100% Tariff Warning

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