China may impose port fees and restrict access to vessels serving US routes in response to new American charges on Chinese shipping, escalating tensions in the transpacific trade dispute, reports Xinhua.

China's State Council amended maritime transport regulations targeting countries that impose discriminatory restrictions on Chinese vessels. The measures include port fees, entry bans and data access restrictions.

Though no country was named, the move is widely seen as retaliation for US port fees this week. These fees aim to counter China's dominance in global shipping and shipbuilding, which US investigations linked to unfair trade practices.

US-flag lines calling China include American President Lines and Matson, with Germany's Hapag-Lloyd operating priority services under US agreements. Other global carriers also serve the China-US trade.

Since the US fees were announced in April, carriers have reshuffled services and removed vulnerable tonnage from US rotations. Hapag-Lloyd said it will not impose surcharges to offset the new charges.

Cosco, China's largest container line, claimed it would not adjust US services, but consultant Peter Sand said vessel swaps are already underway. Cosco has reduced Chinese-built vessel (CBV) capacity on US-bound routes.

Mr Sand noted that only 18 per cent of Cosco's transpacific fleet now consists of CBVs, down from earlier levels. On the USEC3 service, 52,000 TEU of CBV capacity have been replaced between March and November.

He said the changes show how carriers maintain service levels while navigating political and economic pressures. These reallocations affect cost exposure, routing and supply chain resilience for ports and shippers.