Beijing: China has officially begun collecting special port fees from ships officially owned, operated, manufactured, or flagged by the United States.
State broadcaster CCTV confirmed that the new fees came into effect on Tuesday with specific exemption provisions.
Chinese-built ships will be completely exempted from these special port charges.
Empty ships entering Chinese shipyards solely for repair purposes will also avoid payment.
Other categories of vessels considered eligible for exemption will not be required to pay duty.
China’s Transportation Ministry announced the measures last week as retaliation for United States port tariffs on China-bound vessels.
The Chinese tariffs went into effect on the same day that the United States imposed its own tariffs. – Reuters
