US, China to Suspend Reciprocal Port Fees By One Year

The US and China have agreed to suspend tit-for-tat shipping levies on vessels linked to the other for one year, according to Beijing, deescalating a dispute that has become a sticking point in their wider trade war.

Washington began charging special fees on China-linked vessels calling at American ports on Oct. 14, amid a wider probe by the Office of the US Trade Representative into China’s maritime and shipbuilding dominance. The US said it will pause measures resulting from that investigation for a year, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce on Thursday.