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China shipbuilding

China shipbuilding
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China shipbuilding. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
This aerial photo taken on December 3, 2023, shows China’s icebreaker Xuelong 2 breaking ice and plowing a waterway. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

Not worth it? Trump’s Arctic push stirs debate over China’s polar ambitions

Washington views the Arctic as a strategic priority, but Chinese analysts split on whether costly infrastructure serves Beijing’s interests.

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China manufacturing

China’s shipbuilding lead endures, but market share dips amid US port-fee threat

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China food security

Why is China converting cargo ships into giant floating fish farms?

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Shanghai

China shores up status as top shipbuilder with Shanghai port expansion

With US restrictions helping South Korea take a larger share of ship orders, China is developing hi-tech facilities in its financial centre.

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Shanghai has unveiled plans for augmented hi-tech shipbuilding production near the Yangshan Deep-Water Port. Photo: AFP
Transport and logistics

Maersk downplays hit from US port fees as doubts swirl over anti-China plan

The global shipping giant says it will neither raise prices nor stop buying Chinese vessels due to the looming US charges.

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US-China decoupling

China’s lead in global shipbuilding may already be fading, new data suggests

Chinese shipyards saw new orders plunge 68 per cent in the first half of 2025 as the US stepped up efforts to curtail their dominance.

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US-China trade war

South Korea, Japan step up as US targets China’s shipbuilding – can they succeed?

Washington’s curbs on Chinese shipping give Tokyo and Seoul a chance to revive their sectors – but analysts warn challenges remain.

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Workers build sections of the hull of a large ship on a ladder truck of a shipbuilding enterprise in Yantai city, Shandong province, China, on June 4, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
US-China trade war

Explainer | US trade officials mull further rollback of port fee rules – what’s different now?

Proposed policy shift could ease pressure on domestic exporters and benefit global players such as China.

US-China relations

Big shipowners take wind out of US sails, continue to order vessels from China

MSC executive tells forum in Oslo that Chinese shipyards can build new vessels for sector’s energy transition.

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US-China trade war

Trade war risks could push global shippers to Asia’s arbitration hubs: analysts

Tariffs force a rethink in the shipping industry with legal centres like Hong Kong looking increasingly attractive, analysts say.

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Flags representing China and Hong Kong fly from a ship at the Port of Oakland on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Oakland, California, US. Photo: AP
Japan

Appealing offer? Japan offers to assist US shipbuilding amid tariff concerns

Japan is already investing heavily in its own shipbuilding future, driven by strategic concerns over China’s maritime dominance.

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A worker walks off a vessel being built in a shipyard in Dalian, China’s Liaoning province, in 2004. China has become a shipbuilding powerhouse in recent decades. Photo: EPA-EFE
US-China trade war

‘Not a real remedy’: Chinese crane maker raises questions over US tariff plans

Company says higher duties on Chinese cranes would just increase costs for American ports. The US ports association agrees.

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South Korea

China faces headwinds, but it’s not all plain sailing for Korean shipbuilders

America’s plan to impose higher docking fees on vessels made in China will be a blow, but South Korean shipyards face capacity constraints.

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United States

China’s dominance in global shipbuilding

China delivered over half of all new commercial ships worldwide last year. The Trump administration is now seeking to pare this dominance and to revive US shipbuilding.

China’s dominance in global shipbuilding
US-China trade war

China’s shipyards breathe sigh of relief as US scales back port-fee plan

But major shipping carriers face even greater risks as new rules scrap upper limit for levies.

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The US plans to charge hefty fees every time a Chinese-built ship enters an American port, as it looks to counter the dominance of China’s shipyards. Photo: Eugene Lee
US-China trade war

US recalibrates port-fee proposal

Revised from a per-port-call fee, the new proposal was broadened to include foreign – including non-Chinese – vehicle carriers, eventual fees for foreign LNG carriers and levies on Chinese-made port cargo equipment.

US-China trade war

China vows to hit back at US’ new ‘discriminatory’ port fees

Ministry of Commerce says the fresh levies on Chinese vessels will undermine the global supply chain.

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China’s military

Opinion | How China’s military-industrial complex is reshaping geopolitics

As China’s defence posture alters spheres of influence and trade, its allies and rivals are recalibrating their own military policies.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China decoupling

US fires fresh broadside at China’s shipyards with new executive order

The US has softened a controversial port-fee proposal, but is preparing yet more tariffs targeting China’s dominant shipbuilding sector.

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US-China decoupling

US snubs key shipbuilding summit as global maritime rift deepens

Washington’s attempts to counter China’s shipyards have sent shock waves across the global industry.

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US-China relations

Explainer | Why Trump is going full steam ahead to keep China’s shipbuilding in dry dock

US policies to curb China’s perceived influence on global shipping and shipbuilding are facing pushback – but Trump seems unlikely to let up.

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US President Donald Trump has rolled out several measures to curb China’s perceived influence in global shipping and shipbuilding. Photo: AP
US-China decoupling

‘Extremely disruptive’: US plan to tax Chinese ships sparks industry backlash

Shipping bodies urged US policymakers to scrap a controversial port-fee proposal during hearings in Washington.

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The US plans to charge fees of up to US$1.5 million for any shipping operator with Chinese links sending a vessel to an American port. Photo: Cosco
Electric & new energy vehicles

China is building new ships at record pace to turbocharge its car exports

Shipyards are rolling out huge vessels capable of carrying 8,600 cars as China’s auto industry seeks to accelerate its global expansion.

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Donald Trump’s China policy

Explainer | Is China’s shipbuilding industry Donald Trump’s white whale?

The US president plans to establish a shipbuilding office to reward domestic producers and chip away at China’s global market dominance.

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SCMP Highlights

China’s shipbuilding, bid for 2030 maths Olympics: SCMP daily highlights

From rare earth minerals to the tech behind a high orbit radar satellite, here’s a round-up from today’s China and economy coverage.

China’s shipbuilding industry, the world’s largest, could be affected by a new US plan to raise port fees for companies with Chinese ships in their fleets. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

US shot across China’s bow in shipbuilding could backfire as allies fall short

Shipbuilders in Japan and South Korea – likely intended to benefit from a US port fee plan targeting China – might not be able to make up for the shortfall.

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China’s shipbuilding industry, the world’s largest, could be affected by a new US plan to raise port fees for companies with Chinese ships in their fleets. Photo: AFP
China manufacturing

China rebuffs US criticism of its world-leading shipbuilders

Ministry of Commerce urges Washington to ‘stop blaming China for US domestic industrial-development problems’.

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China manufacturing

US seeks to target China’s shipbuilders. Why are they ‘not overly concerned’?

Washington has been looking into the world-leading dominance among Chinese shipping yards, but ‘we’re not overly concerned’, one executive says.

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