The decision to suspend new port fees on Chinese-built, owned, or operated vessels starting on Monday has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who say it undercuts US President Donald Trump’s claims of being tough on China.
They are not alone in pushing back.
While shippers see the move easing costs and boosting trade, labour unions are warning that it could weaken American maritime leverage, send the wrong signal to Beijing, and contradict the administration’s own rhetoric on holding China accountable.
Hunter Stires, a maritime consultant who served as a strategist to current Navy Secretary John Phelan until June, shared his comments to the US Trade Representative (USTR) office on social media on Monday, calling the suspension a “significant strategic mistake”.
“Withdrawing US fees on over 10,000 Chinese ships to remove China’s retaliatory fees on 183 US ships is rightly understood as an American surrender cleverly cloaked in pretended symmetry,” he said.
His critique underscored a growing chorus of opposition from lawmakers and industry voices who warn that the suspension could undercut long-term US maritime interests.
