US Proposes Two-Month Extension of Port-Fee Truce With China to Jan. 9

The U.S. Trade Representative's Office proposed extending a pause on port charges for Chinese-linked ships calling at American ports by two months, pushing the bilateral truce from early November to Jan. 9, according to a Monday notice. The move follows efforts to resolve broader trade issues between Washington and Beijing. The agreement suspended tit-for-tat port fees the two countries imposed on each other earlier in 2025, which subjected Chinese- or U.S.-linked vessels to millions of dollars in charges and forced shipping companies to overhaul global operations, raising freight costs. Beijing had also sanctioned the U.S. units of a major South Korean shipbuilder in retaliation. The extension follows a wider trade truce announced last month when Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the U.S. for his first visit in 11 years. USTR General Counsel Jennifer Thornton said Washington "is continuing to engage with China" to eliminate the practices at issue.