A group of U.S. senators from both parties is asking President Donald Trump to focus on boosting American shipbuilding and to avoid making deals with China at his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They...
A group of U.S. senators from both parties is asking President Donald Trump to focus on boosting American shipbuilding and to avoid making deals with China at his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They believe that China's long-term industrial strategy has harmed U.S. shipyards and threatened national security.
In a letter sent on Monday, Senators Mark Kelly, Tammy Baldwin, Todd Young, and Tim Scott urged Trump to keep putting pressure on China's maritime industry through trade actions and to support the SHIPS for America Act.
The senators stated, “The United States is at a critical moment and cannot give up any more ground to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).” They emphasized that China’s long-term strategy to undermine U.S. shipbuilding as part of their goal to become the leading force in global shipbuilding leaves little room for negotiation.
They pointed out that China's rise in commercial shipbuilding has been driven by “anti-competitive practices,” such as state subsidies, favorable loans from government-owned banks, and cheap steel due to excess production.
The letter highlights that in 2025, China received over 60% of global commercial shipbuilding orders, while South Korea had 16% and Japan had 9%. The senators noted that the United States is now behind China, South Korea, and Japan, as well as other countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Italy, and Germany in ship production.
The senators commended recent actions by the Trump administration that target ships made in China, which include proposed port fees and extra charges for Chinese-built vessels entering U.S. ports.