Caribbean group says US exemptions on Chinese ships ‘acceptable’

[GEORGETOWN] The Caribbean Private Sector Organization said it welcomed a decision to exempt certain Chinese ships travelling to its ports from millions of US dollars in fees proposed by the Trump administration.

The group said on Sunday (Apr 20) that its lobbying efforts paid off with an “acceptable” decision Apr 17 by the US Trade Representative to grant exemptions on three categories of Chinese-made cargo ships that load and unload goods at ports in the Caribbean.

The regional private sector organisation, which is affiliated with the 15-country intergovernmental Caribbean Community (Caricom), had argued the fees would result in “crippling consequences”, such as inflation and supply-chain disruptions.

“This determination, in effect, exempts Caribbean shipping from the high port fees on China-built vessels, originally proposed by the United States Trade Representative,” the organisation said.

The Trump administration plans to impose fines of at least US$1 million on Chinese-made vessels from around the world that use US ports as part of a broader effort to revive the US shipbuilding industry. BLOOMBERG