The USTR is proposing steep docking fees on Chinese-built ships to counter China’s rapid rise in shipbuilding; a sector the U.S. says benefits from unfair trade practices.

The proposed fees—up to $1.5 million per port call—aim to curb reliance on Chinese shipbuilding and reignite domestic capacity. But opponents say the policy could backfire, harming U.S. competitiveness across agriculture, energy, and logistics while doing little to revitalize shipyards. Given the U.S. reliance on Chinese vessels, some believe the bipartisan initiative could trigger significant economic disruption, including higher shipping costs, inflationary pressures, and reduced competitiveness of U.S. exports.

Our guest this week is Lars Jensen, the CEO of the consultancy Vespucci Maritime, who brings his expertise and decades of container shipping industry experience to The Call to shed light on what is likely the most important trade restriction that no one is talking about today.

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