The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) proposed an extension of the suspension of port calling fees on Chinese-linked vessels through Jan. 9, putting into writing the two-month reprieve that had been up in the air since the U.S. and China agreed last month to extend their trade truce into January.
Under a notice filed Friday and published Monday in the Federal Register, USTR indicated it proposed to further pause the responsive actions that resulted from its Section 301 investigation into China’s “unreasonable” dominance of the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors.
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The proposal would replace a Nov. 9 expiration that had remained in place even after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Sept. 23 that the two countries had agreed to prolong their economic détente—first reached last October in Busan, South Korea—until Jan. 10.
USTR has given interested parties until 5 p.m. Eastern on Friday to comment through its portal.
During the office’s proposed suspension period, no party would accrue liability for or be required to pay the fees on maritime transport services via Chinese operators and Chinese-owned vessels, Chinese-built vessels and foreign-built vehicle carriers.
The pause would also continue to cover the duties on ship-to-shore cranes and other cargo-handling equipment set out in the October 2025 modification.
The fees had targeted cranes that were manufactured, assembled or made using components of Chinese origin, or manufactured anywhere in the world by a company owned, controlled or “substantially influenced” by a Chinese national, USTR said.
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