South Korea has reportedly requested the United States to exempt it from new U.S. port fees on foreign-built car carriers.
According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative(USTR) on Monday, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries made the request in an official comment submitted to the USTR on Friday.
The letter addresses one of the key policy measures announced by the USTR on April 17, which aims to counter China’s dominance in shipbuilding and maritime sectors and to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
Under the policy, new port fees will be imposed starting October 14 on vessels either operated by Chinese shipping companies or built in China, but in the case of car carriers, the fee is not limited to Chinese-built ships and applies to all vessels built outside the United States.
In its letter, the South Korean government argued that imposing port fees to foreign-built car carriers would impose a significant burden on relevant industries in both countries, contrary to the intended policy goals, and undermine the mutually beneficial trade relationship between the two nations.
The government urged the U.S. to clearly define the imposition of port fees on car carriers and to limit it to the originally targeted countries.
